Bats & Bandits
by whysoserious1985
Summary: It was should have been a normal patrol, a normal bust, a normal night for Batgirl. But one simple slip up causes her worst nightmare to confront her. The sudden appearance of a masked man from outside Gotham City will turn her world upside down. Who is this mysterious man? Why has he ventured into the Dark Knight's territory? And what will happen to this man and Batgirl?Batgirl/OC
1. Author

Ok, time to address all the legal stuff….

Batman and all related characters are the property of DC Comics and their subsidiaries. I am receiving no compensation for their use. Though I wish I did own them.

The Black Bandit is an original character of the author. Steal it and I'll sue. Nah I won't….or will I…

Before we get to the story I just want to know that I will update on a monthly basis. Jobs suck, that's why I'm taking so long. I have also taken a few creative liberties with the story but nothing major. Rated M for sexual content in later chapters.

Ok, enough of this crap, HERE WE GO!


	2. Chapter 1: Nightlife in Gotham

Chapter 1:

Nightlife in Gotham

The streets were alive on this late September night in Gotham City. Summer had still not surrendered, and this whole day had been warm. There were thousands of people below hustling back and forth, going about their business. Some were trying to hail taxis, a few hundred were taking in the sites, and a few dozen were dressed in their best, looking for a good time. A few however, were out looking for a bad time. All the while, one lone figure looked down from the buildings, watching and waiting. Standing on the edge of a rooftop, black and yellow contrasted, while leather and spandex mixed to cover nearly all of her shapely form, her hand grasping at her utility belt, ready to grab at her tools if needed. Red hair flowed from her cowl, and blue eyes watching all. Batgirl was on the prowl. On this night, even though she was on patrol, Batgirl's mind kept wandering. Mostly on what she'd rather be doing.

"Thursday, at night, and the city is buzzing all around me," she thought. "They are not even waiting for Friday night to come." Her eyes gazed all over 5th Street, at the clubs, bars, and usual party places. People were ducking in and out of all the buildings; all the while Batgirl couldn't help but feel a little jealous. As she sat down on the ledge dangling her legs in the air, her mind wandered again, "What I would give to be down in those clubs right now. Times like this I regret putting this outfit on. But I chose to be a crime fighter, even though it kills my social life. Still, maybe next week I'll call Kara and we can go…"

"Batgirl, come in." The deep sound of Batman's voice over her earpiece snapped Batgirl out of her thoughts.

"I'm here, boss," she replied.

"I've finished my patrol of the docks, nothing there. I'm going over to the industrial complex. Rumors are up that Two-Face is planning something, but he's nowhere around here. How are things downtown?" the Dark Knight asked.

"Except for the loud music from the clubs, and the rampant jay-walking, it's calm over here. I'm going to head over to 8th Street, it's been quiet over there for a couple weeks, but it's known for muggings," Batgirl replied.

"Good, I've sent Robin home for the night; I don't want him falling asleep in school again. So it's just the two of us for the rest of the night," Batman said sternly. Batgirl glanced at clock in the middle of the night scene; it was 2:45 in the morning. In most other cities, the clubs would be closing down at this time. Not in Gotham City, people commonly stay out until the sun rises.

"Speaking of night activities, Batman," she said full of hope. "Any chance Robin could cover my patrol tomorrow night? It's been ages since I had a Friday night out and I could really use a little downtime. I could have Kara fly in from Metropolis so I'll have back up if there is trouble." Though she had a grin that would rival the Joker's on her face, Batman's response wiped it off fast.

"Crime never takes a night off, and neither do we, Batman out." Batgirl grit her teeth as she removed her grappling hook from its pouch. The loud bang stifled the curse words she was using. With a quick weight shift, she scooted off her seat on the ledge into the skyline. As she swung into the night sky, the whole of Gotham could have heard her complaining.

"Shit, that's really easy for you to say Mr. Money Bags. You have bimbos lined up left and right ready to jump all over you," Batgirl said as she pushed a button releasing her hook. With the precision of an Olympic gymnast she tumbled through the air and landed on the roof of a building on 6th Street. Her thoughts raced as she ran, bound, and leapt over the various roof obstacles in her path. "Look at me; I'm a 23 year old college student racing around on rooftops when I should be out dancing in my favorite red dress, and having a good time. I'm a young, vibrant woman for Christ's sake. Lord knows I'm sexy as they come. Hell, I could have any man in Gotham drooling over me right now. I haven't even had a date since Dick and I broke up, and the times I do get asked I have to cancel for…this." Batgirl's thoughts of her current social life continued for a few moments until she reached 8th Street. There weren't many tall buildings here, mostly nightclubs and small shops; she was atop a medium sized building. Her vantage point was perfect for this area. Batgirl's blue eyes were green with jealousy as she eyed the other young women out on the town. With angry sigh, she pulled out her binoculars and returned to her watch. "At this rate I'll be one of the few women who can actually wear white on her wedding day. Not that I'll ever find a man if this is all I do. But then again, I'm just as likely to jump the next guy that shows any interest," she said annoyed. Little did Batgirl know, she was also being watched by another dark figure not far from her, and it wasn't Batman.

"Crap, this isn't good," the figure said to himself. He crept down into the shadows, lit a cigarette and began pondering the 100 ways his stakeout could go wrong now that Batgirl was on the scene. She was so distracted, Batgirl hadn't seen him hiding behind the billboard only a hundred yards away. "Her mind is elsewhere," he said blowing a puff of smoke. "If she gets involved, this will end with bloodshed. I really want to avoid that. I hope you are as good as I've heard, Batgirl." With that, the mysterious figure took a long drag from his cigarette and returned to his surveillance.

"Nothing so far," Batgirl thought. But truthfully, she could barely hear her own thoughts over the music emanating from the Dancer's Eden nightclub below her. It had been months since Barbara Gordon last set foot in that club. She couldn't help but smile at the music that was playing. Slower hip-hop music was to Batgirl, like chocolate is to a kid, she couldn't resist it. Before she knew it, her toes were tapping to the beat and she had put her binoculars down. "It's a slow night, I suppose one song wouldn't hurt," Batgirl said as Shaggy's "Angel" started. "Oh, I love this song," she thought and started dancing. Batgirl smiled as she let the music intoxicate her body. Her hips gyrated around as she twirled in place, hands above her head, eyes closed. She ran her gloved fingers over her whole body and through her hair, her well toned muscles moving her in a graceful and seductive manor. The years of martial arts practice and nightly fights gave her a movement very few women could master. The skin tight leather and spandex left little to the imagination as it moved with her like it was her skin. From a hundred yards away, the mysterious figure couldn't help but watch the show.

Batgirl bent over at the waist with her legs straight and traced lines with her fingers up from her legs, over the curves of her toned hips and stomach, cupping her breasts and pushing them together, ending with her hands folded behind her neck. Her hips began to grind as Batgirl bent her knees bringing her lower to the roof. She cocked her hips to the side and stood up slowly. She imagined her good friend Kara dancing right next to her or even, Dick… The thought of Dick Grayson snapped her back to the real world and Batgirl stopped dancing. She folded her arms under her chest as she thought back to the last time she saw Dick. He had returned to Gotham, dropped into Wayne Manor and walked in on Bruce training Tim Drake to be the new Robin. She remembered how it wasn't an easy visit, because Dick and Bruce were still not on the best of terms. Dick had only stopped by to say he had established himself as Nightwing in Blüdhaven, and to call him if they needed help. Dick had barely looked at Barbara during the short visit. The only glances she got from him empty and cold. "He still hadn't got over the fact I never told him I was Batgirl, even though we were dating," The trust between the two of them never was the same. Batgirl felt a lump in her throat from the guilt. "God, I am such a," Three men entering the alley via the Dancer's Eden rear exit interrupted her. They were talking, but the music drowned out their voices. One was African-American, somewhere between 6 and 7 feet tall, and looked like a tank. The other two were shorter, one Latino, the other Caucasian, barely 6 feet tall each, around 180lbs each. What caught her eye was they were way too overdressed to be clubbers. "Hello, what is this?" Batgirl muttered to herself. She slowly made her way down into the opposite side of the alley, staying in the shadows. It was then she saw they had a suitcase with them.

"Good Lord, you're going to get yourself killed," the mysterious figure said after seeing who was in the alley, and where Batgirl moved. He ditched the cigarette and ran across the roof towards the alley thinking, "I know you are with Batman, but this guy doesn't play games like your crooks do."

"So the deal is set, Vinnie? A cool million for the positron laser cannon," one goon asked.

"The money looked good in there, Carlos. Let's go pick it up," the other goon responded.

"Carlos, Carlos Lopez?" Batgirl said to herself from her hiding spot. He was a known associate of Two-Face. "He's only been out of jail for a month, very unlikely he'd have a million dollars to blow." Carlos handed Vinnie the suitcase, and Batgirl made her move.

"Big bucks and shadowy deals, you sure know how to show a girl a good time," said Batgirl as she came out of the shadows.

"Batgirl? Vinnie, you idiot! She must have followed you! Knuckles kill her, now," Carlos screamed. The big goon ran at Batgirl and threw a punch at the young heroine. She ducked out of the way and hit a hard uppercut to Knuckle's chin, knocking him off balance. A dropkick to the gut then put the big lug on one knee. Batgirl then made a dash for Carlos and Vinnie, trying to keep the both of them from getting away. She leapt, tumbling through the air, catching Carlos with kick to his chest. He dropped to the ground, struggling to regain his breath.

"Two down, one to go," Batgirl said proudly. As she turned to face Vinnie, she was met with a suitcase to the head. The force was enough to send her flying back a few feet. "Smooth move, Bats," she said to herself when her head stopped spinning. She turned again to see all three men had surrounded her. "Not good. Batman, I need some help here," she cried into her earpiece, only to be met with static. "Damn!" she muttered. Her eyes widened as Knuckles came after her again. This time he threw a front kick at Batgirl, a quick split and leg sweep combo took Knuckles down on the ground with a very loud thud. But as she got back to her feet, a gun shot rang out.

"Ahhh!" Batgirl yelled crumbled onto the ground, clutching at her leg. She looked at her hand to find her yellow glove's palm was covered in crimson. Batgirl had never been shot before. There had been close calls before, but never before had a bullet harmed her. Blood poured from the wound as she struggled on the ground, trying to hold back tears from the pain.

"You see Carlos, this is how we do it in Jersey," Vinnie cackled holding a smoking Browning 9mm. "Aim for the leg, and the kill shot is easy pickings. No speeches, no silly tricks, just one dead annoyance. Seriously, how do you Gotham boys get any business done?" Carlos just shrugged. "Too bad though, I got a thing for redheads," Vinnie said as he put the gun at Batgirl's head.

"Oh my God, this is it. He's going to kill me," Batgirl thought with a tear dropping from her eye. She tried backing up away from the thugs, but found herself against the wall. Terrified, she recited the Lord's Prayer. Batgirl closed her eyes tight and clenched her wounded leg, knowing her life was over. Her worst fears were coming true; she would die without telling her father the truth about who she was. And Bruce would have to deal with another loss to his family.

"Bye-bye, Bratgirl," Vinnie chuckled taking aim.

"Drop the gun, Scapelli," a voice cried out from the darkness.

"What the hell was that?" Carlos cried.

"No, not you!" Vinnie said with wide eyes as he pulled his gun away from Batgirl and pointed it at random. He fired a few shots into the sky over Gotham. Vinnie was panicking; he knew the voice coming from the darkness well, very well. "You can't be here, I gave you the slip back in Jersey," Vinnie cried as he tried to find a target for his gun.

"Batman?" Batgirl called out into the darkness. Out of the shadows, a figure dove down on Vinnie sending him crashing into the wall, stunning him. The gun was loose and came to rest a few feet from its owner. Carlos charged at the figure with a large knife. He threw an overhead stab, which the figure blocked with his forearm. He grabbed Carlos by the collar of his shirt and swung him around, throwing him into the rear door of the club, face first. Carlos fell unconscious with blood pouring from his nose, possibly broken. Batgirl crawled against the wall as far as she could to avoid the fighting. She clutched a Batarang in one hand, ready to throw it at anyone who threatened her. The other covered her leg wound, trying to stop the bleeding. The alley had only a single light shining a small amount of light, but Batgirl could vaguely make out what looked like a cape that flowed with the movements of her rescuer.

"RAWRRR!" Knuckles yelled as he charged at the Batgirl's savior. Calmly, the mysterious man turned to his side and planted his weight. When Knuckles came close enough, he raised his leg, straight, and stiff. The sole of the man's boot crashed into Knuckle's chest, sending him back a few feet but still standing. The stranger followed it up with a stiff kick to Knuckle's groin. Batgirl winced as Knuckles collapsed next to her.

"He'll feel that in the morning," she said with a grimace. The stranger turned and looked at Vinnie as he was crawling for his gun. He was just about to grab it, when a black leather boot landed on Vinnie's arm. The crook cried as heavy pressure pushed down, almost crushing the bone.

"Damn you to hell, Bandit!" Vinnie cried struggling to free his arm.

"Bandit?" Batgirl said.

The Bandit kicked the gun away and picked up Vinnie by his throat, lifting him off the ground and slammed Vinnie's back against the wall. "Thought you could get away from me, did you Scapelli? I thought you would have learned by now, I won't stop until you spend your life behind bars. Let's see, stolen military weapons, smuggling, intending to sell, that's hard time right there," the Bandit said before looking at the wounded Batgirl before returning his glare to Vinnie. "But now I have the pleasure of adding attempted murder to the list. Vinnie, you won't be seeing any freedom for years, now." Vinnie answered by spitting in the Bandit's face. The Bandit gave Vinnie a quick head butt in return, and turned toward Batgirl. Vinnie was dropped, dazed, onto the ground. The Bandit wiped the spit from his face and stepped towards the wounded girl. Batgirl struggled to get to one knee, as Vinnie regained his senses; he pulled a knife and raised it to the Bandit's back.

"Look out!" Batgirl cried as she threw her Batarang, knocking the knife out of Vinnie's hand. The Bandit turned with all his speed and knocked Vinnie out with a back hand fist to the face. He then dragged Knuckles and Scapelli together and tied them up with the case of money, while Lopez remained unconscious. Batgirl managed to stand up, favoring her right leg. She pulled out another Batarang, very suspicious of her rescuer. The Bandit turned to Batgirl; both of them were wearing their best poker face. The Bandit broke first and stepped toward the injured girl again.

"Stay where you are," Batgirl said.

"You're bleeding," replied the Bandit.

"It's only a flesh wound, I'm ok," retorted Batgirl.

"No you're not," the Bandit said stepping into the little light that was in the alley. Batgirl pulled her arm back showing she would throw her Batarang. Once the he stepped into the light, she could now clearly see the Bandit. He was at least 6 feet 2 inches tall, and around 260, and a very solid build. The Bandit was dressed all in black, leather and spandex mixed in his attire. A black utility belt similar to Batman's enveloped his waist. The leather trench coat and gloves hid the rest of him. A black leather mask cover his whole head, save for Bandit's mouth and eyes. The two figures stared at each other before the sounds of police sirens broke the stalemate. "Trust or no trust, you need that wound tended to now, infection being the least of your worries," the Bandit cried at Batgirl. She gave no answer, thinking of what to do. "You know I won't hurt you, Batgirl." What choice did she have? If word got out Batgirl was injured it might put her identity at risk.

Reluctantly, Batgirl put her weapon away and offered her arm, "Give a girl a hand?" The Bandit went over to her and slung her arm around his shoulder, bringing their chests together. Batgirl could feel the muscle in the Bandit's chest against her breasts. They weren't rock hard, but she could feel the muscles twitch as they moved. This caused Batgirl's nipples to harden. She didn't pay much attention to it though.

Rolling back his sleeve, the Bandit revealed a wrist mounted grappling hook. He fired it into the air, latching it onto the roof of Dancer's Eden. He put his free arm around Batgirl's waist to support her. The Bandits hand came to rest on the side of Batgirl's abdomen. Even through his leather gloves and her spandex, the Bandit could feel the solid tone of Batgirl's stomach. In a flash, they rose quickly into the air as the Gotham Police found Vinnie and his cohorts. "Take it easy, I'm not feeling so good," Batgirl stated as they rose into the air. Once on the roof, the Bandit loosened his grip to let Batgirl find her balance on her good leg. Try as she did, Batgirl lost her balance quickly and the Bandit quickly caught her.

"You might be going into shock, I'd better dress your wound here," the Bandit said laying Batgirl down. The roof of the Dancer's Eden was not a very clean place to dress a gunshot wound, but choices were limited. He never got a good look at her wound, the Bandit had to assume the bullet did some serious damage. If the Bandit didn't act quickly, Batgirl risked bleeding out. Reaching into his own belt and pulling out his medical kit, the Bandit began first aid. "Better give me your med kit too, I might need the extra gauze," he said.

"Right hip pouch, who are you?" Batgirl asked. Her eyes were fixated on the Bandit, still trying to ascertain if he was trustworthy.

"Considering the situation, Batgirl, I think we should delay the formal introduction," he said. She nodded in agreement. The Bandit removed her kit and opened all the gauze packets. He removed the chrome Zippo lighter from his pocket and used it to illuminate the wound. The Bandit said nothing as he saw the damage done by Scapelli, he didn't want to worry Batman's protégé. Batgirl's pain receptors fired as the Bandit applied pressure to the wound with a handful of gauze. She heard a bottle open and winced as stinging anti-septic liquid was poured onto her leg. The Bandit piled the rest of the gauze from both kits on the wound and wrapped up tightly. "That should control the bleeding for now, but you need stitches to close it up. Are you injured anywhere else?" the Bandit asked.

"Just a little dizzy, must have lost a little bit too much blood," she replied weakly.

"I have a safe house close by. It's only temporary while I'm in town, but I can better treat you there," replied the Bandit kneeling down next to Batgirl.

"A safe house, where is it?" the redhead retorted.

"Just a over a mile from here, it's an old warehouse on Redmount Ave," replied her rescuer without pausing to think.

"Why are you telling me that so willingly?" Batgirl asked.

"I gave you a piece of sensitive information as a gesture of trust," he replied, and held out a hand to Batgirl. She thought for a split second, took the Bandit's hand, and was pulled up slowly back to her feet.

"If this goes bad I could always activate a tracer," she thought. "Alright, let's go," Batgirl said as the Bandit picked her up bridal style. Batgirl's body began losing strength as her adrenaline levels started to drop. "Mind giving me a real introduction now?" she asked short of breath.

"Forgive me," he said carrying her off into the night. "I am called, the Black Bandit."


	3. Chapter 2: Dark Meeting

Chapter 2:

Dark Meeting

Batgirl awoke to find herself lying on a table, a white sheet was pulled up around her body. Slowly, she raised her left hand to rub the side of her head. The pain in Batgirl's head could rival the gun shot wound. It was then she realized she had just woken up.

"I passed out?" she thought. "Two big mistakes in one night, real smart Barbara. Where did that guy go?" She looked around to get a feel of the warehouse. It was small, 40x40 with a single stairwell leading to the roof, there wasn't much else to take in. The rest of the warehouse was disheveled, clearly abandoned for sometime. On another table not far from her left side, Batgirl saw a laptop, what looked like a scanner, and a microscope. Her bloodied glove was at her side and an IV was plugged into the back of her bare right hand. Batgirl sat up trying to get a better look at what else was in the warehouse; but very quickly she fell back down on the table.

"Take it easy," a voice called. Batgirl lifted her head again to see the Bandit. He was by a structure covered in a brown sheet, digging around in what looked like a very large saddle bag.

"Was I out for long?" Batgirl asked putting her head back down on the table.

"Not long, only about 45 minutes, Batgirl," he replied. The Bandit walked towards Batgirl holding a small package of sugar cookies and a carton of orange juice. "I know you're probably not hungry, but you should still get some sugar in your system. You lost about two pints of blood, and the IV can only do so much." Batgirl wasn't about to argue with him. The Bandit helped her sit up and gave her the cookies and juice. Though it took a moment to get her bearings, Batgirl choked down the cookies and gulped down the juice, trying hard to keep it from coming back up. The Bandit shone a flashlight in her eyes causing her to flinch away from the brightness. "Sorry," he said. The Bandit then held Batgirl's eyelid open and focused the light in her eyes. Her pupils dilated without fail. "No concussion, there's some good news," he said bending down to her leg with some more gauze, "I just finished stitching up your leg, all that's left to do is clean it up." The Bandit removed the sheet covering Batgirl's lower body. She saw he had cut a section of her legging away to better access her gunshot wound. Batgirl gave a sigh of relief when she saw the bullet had only grazed her outer thigh, but the wound was still deep. A Lambert stitch closed a three inch gash on her leg. Oddly enough, she felt no pain.

"You gave me a local anesthetic, didn't you?" she finally said.

"I keep a full field medic kit with my other equipment," the Bandit said as his began prepared to clean her stitches.

"Food, medical gear, and computer technology, you came to Gotham prepared. Black Bandit was it?" she asked.

"That's my name," the Bandit replied. He put two rubber gloves on and poured iodine on a piece of gauze. Using light pressure, he carefully rubbed the liquid onto Batgirl's leg. She gave a sigh of relief that the anesthetic shielded her from the sting of the iodine. He finished cleaning the stitch job, wrapped up her leg, and removed the IV from Batgirl's hand. She place her blood stained glove back on her hand and scooted over to sit on the edge of the table before the Bandit put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "You should wait about 20 minutes to let the sugar kick in," the Bandit said. Batgirl just nodded, her headache was all that kept her from arguing. The Bandit removed the rubber gloves, walked over to his laptop and turned it on. He typed in a few keys before Batgirl got his attention.

"I've heard a couple stories about you Bandit, mostly how you interrogate suspects. But you're a long way from New Jersey, why are you in Gotham?" she asked. The Bandit responded by turning his laptop to the redhead and bringing up his case files. Batgirl was intrigued by its size. The Bandit's laptop was twice as thick as the one she used at school.

"Vinnie Scapelli deals in stolen military technology, four months ago he stole the positron laser cannon prototype from the military while it was in transit. Whenever he steals something, Scapelli sells it as quickly as possible. He tries to stay where its busy though, makes blending in easier. I staked out his usual spots in at the shipping ports in Bayonne and Newark for a month and a half, but found nothing. Scapelli is known for dealing with international terrorists immediately after the heist. But he virtually disappeared after the theft, taking the weapon with him. Vinnie never held onto a weapon this long before. He's got a special buyer here in Gotham, I know it," the Bandit said to his fellow crime fighter.

"So the police didn't help you at all? They just sat by while Scapelli crossed the state line?" a shocked Batgirl asked.

"Jersey is full of crooked cops, Batgirl; that's the real reason it's called Dirty Jersey. I suspect someone was on his payroll and helped him escape Jersey. And, men in capes and masks aren't in the same favor with the Jersey legal system as you and Batman are here in Gotham." That last statement made Batgirl's heart sink. She wanted to ask why, but the Bandit kept going on. "The few leads on Scapelli I got went nowhere. Trail stayed cold for a couple weeks. Then, I got a tip he was heading for Gotham City, so I followed him. I've been keeping tabs on him since I found him. The deal was supposed to go down tonight. But you know the story from that point on." Batgirl nodded with the Bandit. "Is there anything you could tell me about the buyer from the alley?" he asked.

"His name is Carlos Lopez; he is part of Two-Face's gang. No one big though, just hired muscle. Lopez got out of jail just last month, but he's stayed virtually out of sight. And there is no way he could have a million dollars to spend on his own," said Batgirl. She thought for a moment and snapped her fingers as a thought came to mind. "There are rumors that Two-Face is up to something, so they…"

"May be connected," Black Bandit interrupted. He thought for a moment silently before speaking again. "Thank you for sharing that with me, Batgirl. But I'm going to need to speak with Batman." A thud on the roof silenced the Bandit before he could begin his next sentence. The Bandit turned to Batgirl saying, "I better burn these sheets, not the best idea to leave your blood in two places." He gathered up the partially bloody sheet and used medical gear, and walked to the other side of the warehouse. Batgirl watched as the Bandit threw everything in an oil drum and lit it on fire.

"What happened out there," a firm voice came from the darkness. Batgirl snapped her head around to see two white eyes staring at her from the shadows. The Bandit looked over his shoulder as he lit another cigarette

"It's ok, I'm fine Batman. The Black Bandit helped me out in the alley," Batgirl said. The Dark Knight emerged from the shadows and glowered at his protégé. He took note of the stitches in Batgirl's leg and got a strict look on what little of his face his mask revealed.

"You were shot in the leg and could have been killed," he said in a harsh tone. "What the hell was going through your head, Batgirl?" All she could do was look at the ground, dejected. Batgirl felt like she was in the principal's office again. Her eyes wanted to tear up but she fought the urge. Batgirl would rather have been shot again then cry in front of her mentor. Folding her hands over her fresh stitches, she opened her mouth to explain what happened, "Well, I…"

"It's my fault, Batman," the Bandit called as he walked back to the two bats, a puff of smoke leaving his mouth. "She saw one of my smoke puffs out of the corner of her eye when we both were watching the alley. Probably thought someone was tailing her. Keeping one's eyes in two places always leads to a distraction. If you have to blame someone for this; I'm the one who deserves it." Batman turned his attention to the other dark figure and slowly stepped toward the Bandit. Batgirl was speechless and wide eyed. She couldn't figure out why he was taking the fall for her. Stopping inches from the tip of the Bandit's cigarette, the Dark Knight glared into the eyes of young crime fighter.

"How could you be so foolish, Black Bandit," Batman shouted as he pulled the cigarette from the Bandit's mouth and threw it on the ground. "Your recklessness nearly cost Batgirl her life. And if you were operating in Gotham, you should have told me. Personally, I'd love to haul you in for endangerment." The Caped Crusader was now nose to nose with the Bandit. Batgirl hopped down from the table onto her good leg, thinking she might have to keep Batman from throwing a punch. The Bandit was not an easy man to intimidate, but even he couldn't help but take a step away from Dark Knight. "However, you also saved Batgirl's life and treated her wounds. For that I thank you. But now with Vinnie Scapelli in custody, it's time for you to leave." With that, Batman turned to exit. Both Batgirl and the Bandit let out a sigh of relief in unison.

"Batman, I have to recover the weapon Scapelli was intending to sell. It's too dangerous to remain out of military hands," the Black Bandit said. "I want the weapon, and I know you want the buyer." Batman stopped walking away and turned to his fellow dark figure. Batgirl watched on with a concerned look in her face, unsure of what was going to happen next. The tension between the two men was thick in the air. Batman's cape covered all of his body, making his posture impossible to read. The Bandit's hands were pocketed in his trench coat. The heavy leather also concealed his body language. Both men stared at each other, neither making a move nor saying a word. After what seemed like an eternity, Batman broke the silence.

"What do you suggest?" the Caped Crusader asked.

"I interrogate Scapelli, you take Lopez," the Black Bandit said. "If we get nothing from them, we compile all the data we have to find the positron laser cannon. If we can't get the buyer, at least we can get the weapon off the streets of Gotham." Batman raised a hand to his chin, pondering the Bandit's suggestion.

"Alright. Batgirl, you stay here and rest," said Batman.

"I'm ok to handle a little interrogation, Batman," the redhead responded.

"You've seen enough action for tonight. I don't want you over-exerting yourself," said Batman. Batgirl scoffed and crossed her arms in anger.

"Actually we do need her help. She can stay in the Batmobile and monitor the interrogations," suggested the Black Bandit as he walked toward the brown sheet. "An extra set of ears is always a benefit." Batgirl was surprised by the suggestion, while Batman remained silent.

"It's against my better judgment, but alright," Batman said walking to the door. The Bandit turned on his heels and walked over to the brown sheet.

"And how are you getting to police headquarters? The Batmobile only seats two, and I'm not about to sit on your lap," said Batgirl said with a smirk. The Bandit smiled back at her as he pulled the on the brown sheet to reveal a custom chopper. A fat boy rear tire and belt drive were connected chrome V-8 engine. One side held a very large fiberglass side saddle for the Bandit's equipment. The rake was extended much farther than the usual chopper and connected to a slightly smaller front wheel. This was easily the longest motorcycle either of the Caped Crusaders had even seen. The handlebars were pulled back halfway down length of this gas tank. The Bandit obviously had comfort in mind when he built this bike. Except for the massive chrome engine the entire bike was black. "Wow, I like," Batgirl said with a smile. The Black Bandit just looked at her again and smiled.

"I'll go get the car," Batman said as he left the warehouse. When he was out of earshot, Batgirl turned to the Black Bandit.

"Why did you take the blame for my mistake?" she asked.

"Distractions happen, Batgirl. I've had a couple myself," the Bandit responded. "Batman would have pulled the ears off your cowl if he knew what really happened. Besides, Scapelli is my responsibility. If I had caught him sooner, you wouldn't have been shot." Batgirl just crossed her arms, silently agreeing with the Bandit. "On a side note, I think you are a really good dancer," he added. Batgirl blushed at his last comment. The Bandit turned off the few pieces of equipment he had and packed them into the side saddle of his bike.

"That was very sweet of you to say. But I don't need to be protected," she said. "I've had a few screw ups in front of Batman before." Batgirl's tone was serious. The Bandit was afraid he had offended her. "You're very lucky I got a thing for hot bikes," Batgirl giggled. The Bandit turned to Batgirl with his hands on his hips. "And normally, I'd dropkick a guy who flirts with me so quickly," Batgirl said trying to look as innocent as possible. The Bandit just smiled as he opened the main door and walked his bike out. He watched in amazement as Batgirl limped out of the warehouse under the own ability. They both exchanged another smile while the Bandit closed the door behind them. The sound of a powerful engine and screeching tires turned both of them around. The Batmobile's tires squealed, bringing the mighty vehicle to a stop in a cloud of dust and burnt rubber. The canopy slid open with a hiss as Batman looked at the two young people impatiently. The Bandit took Batgirl's hand and lifted her bridal style into the Batmobile, drawing another small blush from her.

"Can that moped of your keep up?" she joked putting on her seatbelt. The Bandit rolled his eyes as he put a full shield helmet on. The canopy of the Batmobile closed as the Bandit mounted his bike. Batgirl looked to see Batman with a stern look on his face.

"Is there a reason you're flirting with him?" Batman asked. The question caught the young heroine off guard. Batgirl opened her mouth to give a smart remark, but was startled when the Black Bandit brought the engine of his bike to life. The roar of the engine was strong enough to penetrate every corner of the Batmobile; Batgirl placed her hand on her heart from the shock the sound gave her. The vibrations were so strong, they shook both bats down to their boots. Batman just shook his head, while Batgirl couldn't help but smile as she shook her's. With a nod, the Bandit told Batman to lead the way. And both vehicles roared off into the streets of Gotham leaving a trail of dust in their wake. The sound of the Bandit's bike echoed loudly behind the Batmobile.

Batgirl took this opportunity to replace her damaged earpiece. She took her cowl off and removed the broken communicator from her ear. The dime sized piece was split right in half; luckily the broken plastic hadn't cut her ear up. Reaching into one of the Batmobile's many compartments; she pulled a new earpiece out and turned it on.

"Check one, two," she said activating the device.

"I can hear you," Batman replied.

"So, how did you find me at the warehouse?" Batgirl asked putting the earpiece in her ear. She smoothed her hair back and replacing her cowl.

"About halfway through checking the industrial complex, I decided to check in with you," Batman began. "When you didn't answer, I made my way across town to 8th Street. The prisoners were already halfway to the precinct when I arrived. From the rooftop of the Dancer's Eden, I overheard the CSI talking with Bullock. They were discussing the two pools of blood on the scene. One was identified easily because Carlos was still face down in it. Neither of the other two had injuries consistent with the level blood loss from the second pool. When I saw the shell casings being photographed, I knew someone had been shot." Batman's tone got very serious as he continued talking, "I looked around for a clue as to where you could be. In the middle of the roof, I saw another small blood pool, an empty bottle of anti-septic and used gauze. No average person would be on the roof of any building this late. There was also a trail of blood drops leading uptown, and a set of footprints too large to be yours. That last clue told me you were the one who got shot. It was clear that someone had bandaged you up, and was taking you to get further treatment." Batgirl said nothing, amazed at Batman's deductive reasoning. He truly was the World's Greatest Detective.

"Are you mad at me, Bruce? I mean, I've had close calls. But, I never slipped up like this before," Batgirl asked with a frown looking at her mentor. Batman stopped at a red light and turned to Batgirl, the thunder of the Black Bandit's bike idled behind them.

"Barbara," he started, now with a gentle tone. "I was more worried than mad. Worried that those blood drops would lead me to your body. When I saw your glove stained with your blood in the warehouse, it was just a bit overwhelming. I counted my blessings when I saw only your leg was stitched up." Batman put his hand on Batgirl's shoulder, "Your father took the loss of Susan hard when the Joker killed her. If I had to tell him you met a similar fate," Batman trailed off as the light turned green. Batman sped off, Bandit thunder down the road behind him.

"Thank you, Bruce," Batgirl said. Batman gave no response as he pulled into the alley behind police headquarters, the Bandit right behind him. Batman shut the car off and turned to see Batgirl with a very sour look on her face and her arms crossed in anger. "Really, another alley?" she remarked. Batman gave no response as he opened the canopy and took a spare earpiece with him. The Bandit had already cut his engine and was removing his helmet as Batman joined him.

"Hasn't she had enough of alleyways tonight?" asked the Bandit. Again Batman gave no response, while Batgirl gave a blood stained thumbs up from the passenger seat. Batman ignored her and held out the extra earpiece.

"Put this on so Batgirl can monitor both interrogations," the Dark Knight said. The Bandit activated the device and pulled the side of his mask over his right ear, showing a patch of brown hair. "Can you hear me?" Batman said activating the com link. The Bandit nodded as he placed the device in his ear and pulled the mask back over. "Give me a few minutes to explain the situation to Gordon," Batman said firing his grappling hook into the air. The Bandit dismounted his bike as Batman ascended to Gordon's office. Knowing he had a short wait, the Bandit popped another cigarette in his mouth and walked over to the Batmobile.

"That's your second one in about 20 minutes," Batgirl said.

"I always have one before an interrogation, Batgirl," the Bandit said keeping the cigarette between his lips. "Keeps me calm."

"You got one for me?" Batgirl asked.

"Huh?" the Bandit asked.

"Do you have another cigarette?" she responded.

"I never pegged you for a smoker, Batgirl," the Bandit said handing her one. She winked and took the stick. The Bandit lit hers first before lighting his. He took a long drag and held the smoke in for a moment before blowing it out of his nose. Batgirl took a quick drag, leaving a ring of black lipstick on the end of her cigarette. She let the smoke loose from her mouth and inhaled it through her nose.

"Not exactly the best habit I picked up in college," she said leaning on sidewall, blowing the smoke with her words.

"Do you always act this friendly with the new boy in town," the Bandit asked blowing smoke as he spoke. Batgirl didn't respond, she just chuckled and took another drag of her cigarette and crossed her legs. The fresh stitches pulled at her flesh causing a little pain to shoot up her spine, but she didn't show it on her face. "I picked it up in college myself. Not exactly part of the regular curriculum," said the Bandit.

"What did you study?" asked Batgirl.

"I double majored in computer science and world history. What about you?" the Bandit replied.

"Criminology, but I still have one more semester to go," said Batgirl.

"I finished up a year ago," the Bandit said casually. Batman interrupted the conversation over the earpieces.

"We've got our time with the suspects, Bandit. Get up here. Batgirl, make sure you record everything," Batman said emotionlessly.

"Roger, Batman. I'll be right up," he said in the communicator. "We'll talk later, Batgirl," the Bandit said flicking his cigarette away. He pulled his sleeve back again and fired his own grappling hook into the air. When it latched onto its target, he ascended in a flash. His trench coat flapped back and forth violently as the Bandit flew upward. Batgirl watched on until he was out of site. She took one last puff from her cigarette and threw it away. She pressed a few buttons on the console, activating the minicomputer in the dashboard and closed the canopy. Batgirl then took out a set of head phones and put them on.

"Let's have a listen," she said cracking her knuckles.


	4. Chapter 3: New Friends, New Clues

Chapter 3:

New Friends, New Clues

The Black Bandit silently landed on the fire escape outside Commissioner Gordon's office. He released the grappling hook and reeled in his slack. Stepping inside the window, the Bandit was met by the two men who were at the center of the war on crime in Gotham. Gordon stood next to Batman on one side of his desk. Clearly Gordon was a few hours into his shift. His coat was hanging from the desk chair and his tie was hanging from the coat rack. A white shirt and brown slack matched the brown leather shoulder sling. Inside the sling was a .38 Revolver.

"You must be the Black Bandit," Gordon said to the new figure in his office holding out his hand. "Commissioner, James Gordon."

"A pleasure, Commissioner," the Bandit said shaking hands with him. Though he knew Gordon had some questions, time was of the essence. "Where are Scapelli and Lopez?"

"I'll take you to them," Gordon responded ushering the two vigilantes out of his office. The three men exited and walked through the police headquarters. Outside Gordon's office were a couple dozen desks, belonging to Gordon's fellow officers. Even though it was late, many police were buzzing about. Phones were ringing, papers were flapping, and officers were talking with citizens left and right. The Bandit was taken back by how busy the precinct was. Batman and Gordon were accustomed to how busy the Gotham Police were, even in the early hours of the morning. The three walked up to a foul smelling detective at his desk, who clearly had one too many donuts in his life.

"Bullock," Gordon said. "Have Lopez and Scapelli been moved to interrogation?"

"Nah, just Scapelli is waiting for you and your pet," Bullock said taking a bite from one of his six donuts, eyes fixed on his paperwork. "You won't get far with him at all. Scapelli ain't talking and Lopez lawyered up. He's refused to even be taken from the holding cell until council arrives. Probably trying to make sure Knuckles keeps his mouth shut."

"Nothing I can do with Lopez now," Batman said turning to the Bandit. "Try and get as much as you can with Scapelli."

"That's rich, Bats. Who gets the tough-nut, Bird-Boy or the Lady Bat?" Bullock asked swiveling his chair around. Bullock stopped talking when he saw the Bandit. Looking the new figure up and down, Bullock got a very sour look on his face. "And just who the hell is this clown?"

"This is the Black Bandit, Bullock," Gordon said. "He's been investigating Scapelli for the last few months." Bullock got up out of his chair and put his coat and hat on. He eyed the Bandit before speaking again.

"Jeez, Commish," he started. "How many of these masked freaks are we gonna stomach in this town?" Bullock walked right up to the Bandit and pointed his finger in the Bandit's face. "I don't care how long you've been tailing this scumbag. He's my case now. You step out of line just once, and you'll wish you'd never met me." The Bandit remained silent for a split second.

"Too easy, I'm going to skip that one," said the Bandit sarcastically. Both Batman and the Bandit heard Batgirl trying to muffle her laughter over the com link.

"You wanna start something with me clown?" Bullock said in a firm tone.

"Enough!" Gordon ordered. "Where is Scapelli, Bullock?"

"Interrogation Room 3. I was just heading down there now," Bullock said.

"I go in alone," the Bandit said.

"No chance, freak," Bullock retorted harshly. "Let me tell you something…"

"Bullock!" Batman yelled. The whole room turned and glared at the Dark Knight. "The Bandit is the best chance we have to get any information out of Scapelli. He knows which buttons to push with him. We can either do this interrogation with you or without you, take your pick." Bullock was visibly furious at both masked men. He looked to the Commissioner, but only got a nod from Gordon. Bullock pulled his gun out of the desk drawer and put it in his shoulder sling.

"Let's go," he said walking away with the three men. Gordon led the three other men through a couple more hallways. Along the way, the Bandit noticed many fliers and posters. Some were for the Policemen's Ball, a few were general notices, and some were wanted posters. The Joker, Poison Ivy, Two-Face, the Bandit found himself getting his first look at some of Gotham's worst. They passed a few vagrants and prostitutes who were waiting to be booked. The ladies of the night sent a few offers to the two masked men.

"Is Batgirl ok?" Jim asked passing into a hallway.

"She'll be fine," Batman responded.

"Scapelli was bragging he put a bullet in Bat-dame," Bullock said. Batman and the Bandit looked at each other. Barbara was cursing up a storm over the com link. After a few more corridors, they came to a door that said, "Interrogation 3." The Black Bandit looked through the one way glass, staring at Scapelli. His clothes were a little dirty and the right side of his face had started to turn black. He was sitting in one of the two chairs, one hand cuffed to the table leg. The Bandit noted that the table was bolted to the floor, and gave a smirk.

"What are you smiling at, Bandit?" Gordon asked.

"Nothing," the Bandit said quietly. His voice was soft and very hard to hear. Batman, Gordon, and Bullock had to lean in to hear him. "Whatever happens in there, none of you come in. Don't even touch the door. Scapelli won't talk unless he's genuinely terrified that his life is in danger."

"Have you ever got this guy to talk before?" Bullock asked.

"If the Jersey cops didn't interrupt me, I'd have gotten a confession for the Johnson murders last year," was his response. Both Gordon and Bullock looked at each other before turning to Batman. The Dark Knight looked the Bandit dead in the eyes and gave him a nod. The Bandit opened the door and stepped into the bright walled, well lit room. Scapelli just turned to him and laughed. The Bandit froze in the doorway, not giving any emotion at all.

"Well, if it isn't Black Beauty," Scapelli remarked. "But this shiner you gave me makes me look like the real Black Beauty." The Bandit gave no response; he turned and closed the door. Locking the door the Bandit turned to Scapelli. His right hand came up and reached inside the inner breast of his trench coat. "So the man in the mask is packing, big deal," Scapelli remarked with a smile. In the blink of an eye, the Bandit pulled an 8 inch steel dagger from his coat, turned and stabbed it into the door crack, forcing it closed. From the other side, Bullock grabbed for the door. Batman and Gordon managed to pull him back before he reached it. Scapelli jumped up from his seat, standing uneven from being cuffed to the table, "JUST WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" he yelled.

"Sit down, Scapelli," the Bandit said calmly turning to his foe. After a minute, the thief complied as the Bandit walked to the other chair and put his hands on the backrest. Both men's eyes met neither making a move. "Let's talk."

"Figure you're going to make me squeal with that little knife stunt," Scapelli said. "Not going to happen, Blacky. All I got to do is demand a lawyer and I don't have to say a thing."

"Knife?" Batgirl thought to herself in the Batmobile.

"Then why didn't you?" the Bandit responded.

"I wanted to see you lose all hope when I did," Scapelli said smiling. The Bandit tucked his hands behind his back.

"Let's cut the crap. I know you're planning to claim self-defense against Batgirl." the Bandit said. Scapelli just let his lips curl into a smug smile. "No surprise there, that's how you were acquitted in the Johnson murder."

"Again, I was acting in self-defense with Mr. Johnson," Scapelli said. "I have a right to defend myself if anyone attempts to do bodily harm to me. And Brat-girl had no business putting her hands on me or my associates." Batgirl clenched her fists tightly when she heard Scapelli.

"Son of bitch," she said angrily. Both Batman and the Bandit heard her over the com link, but neither acknowledged her.

"Except for one thing," the Bandit started. "Even if you claim self defense, and it works; all I have to do is testify that you didn't try to stop Knuckles when Carlos told him to kill Batgirl. That makes you an accomplice to attempted murder. And I'm sure Knuckles or Lopez for that matter will corroborate with my testimony if it serves their benefit." Scapelli's smirk quickly left his face. "You're looking at 7 to 10 years in Stonegate." Batman nodded in approval outside the door. Meanwhile, Batgirl grinned in the Batmobile.

"Clever plan, Bandit. But we both know Gotham has just as much, if not more crooked cops than Jersey does," Scapelli said. Bullock mumbled under his breath outside the interrogation room. "Even if I get charged, one good promise and I'll be on my way to freedom," Scapelli said leaning back in his chair as far as the cuffs would allow him.

"Cut the bullshit, Scapelli," the Bandit said firmly placing both hands on the table opposite the crook. "Gotham does have crooked cops, but what are some of those dirty cops going to do when they find out you're locked up in here. I know you've sold to Al-Qaida and the Taliban for Christ's sake, too bad I can't prove it. Crooked cop or not, everyone is carrying a grudge from 9/11. I'm willing to bet someone, cop or crook for that matter, wouldn't mind putting you in a pine box for those sales."

"You're going to have to do better than that," Scapelli said putting his free hand on the table.

"Ok," the Bandit said calmly as he moved the chair aside. With all the speed he could muster, the Bandit grabbed another 8 inch dagger from his coat, and stabbed it down into the table half an inch away from Scapelli's free hand. Scapelli pulled his hand away and lost all composure.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU? SOMEBODY HELP! GET THIS PSYCHO AWAY FROM ME." Again, Bullock had to be restrained by Gordon and Batman. In the Batmobile, Batgirl reached for the volume control on her headset. Scapelli's screaming was too much for her ears to take. All the while, she was wondering what that loud bang she heard was.

"WHAT A SHOCK, SCAPELLI," the Bandit yelled. "If the cops outside that door gave a damn, they'd be smashing it down to get me away from you. If the cops don't give a rat's ass, what chance do you have in Stonegate Prison? You'll be rubbing elbows with the scum crazy enough to work for the Riddler, Penguin, or the Joker." The Bandit lowered himself to Scapelli's ear and spoke very softly. "Is that what you want?" Scapelli was sweating profusely; his face was white as a sheet. The idea of being close to the Joker's gang was too much.

"Okay, okay I'll talk," Scapelli said with a cracking voice.

"Wow, you're good," Batgirl said over the com link. The Bandit ignored her.

"Who was the buyer," the Bandit asked slamming his fist on the table.

"I don't know," Scapelli said in a panic. "I only spoke with hired muscle, said his boss would pay me big if I stole the cannon. We used pre-paid phone cards, they can't be traced. He wanted to wait until the heat was off before cutting the deal. I never knew who the buyer was, I swear on the Holy Scripture itself."

"Where's the cannon, Scapelli?" the Bandit asked walking around the table, behind his suspect.

"Gone by now."

"Don't try to fuck with me, Scapelli?" the Bandit said harshly getting right in Scapelli's face.

"The buyer has it, most likely," he replied. "I told Lopez where it was stashed when he showed me the money in the case, and then he phoned it to boss. Public storage on Main Street, lock up 63. It was too noisy in the club so we went into the alley so I could give Carlos the combination to the lock. That's when Batgirl showed up."

"Is there anything else I should know?" the Bandit asked harshly.

"That's all I know," Scapelli said cowering.

"Well you better start thinking in your cell, scumbag. And consider cooperating with the police," the Bandit said as he pulled his dagger out of the table. "I hate making two trips, and I hate pulling my daggers even more."

"Daggers?" Batgirl thought to herself. "He really does use daggers?"

"So if I have to come talk with you again, that half an inch is going to disappear." With that, the Bandit made for the door.

"Is he serious?" Batgirl thought to herself. The Bandit pulled the other dagger out of the crack and unlocked the door.

"Have a nice night, Vinnie," the Bandit said as he exited the room. Scapelli broke down and started shaking uncontrollably. The Bandit stepped toward the other three men waiting outside the door.

"You're as loony as half the psychos in Arkham," Bullock said.

"Sometimes crazy works," the Bandit responded with a smile.

"What do we do Batman?" Gordon asked.

"We'll check out the storage locker," responded the Dark Knight. "If we find anything we'll let you know."

"Ok," Gordon responded. He and Bullock both looked at Scapelli through the glass. "Take him back to his cell, Harvey. Let him stew for a while."

"Why not have Junior here do it, shake him up some more," Bullock said with a smile. Both cops turned to Batman and the Bandit, only to be met with an empty hallway. Bullock scratched his head and popped a toothpick in his mouth. "I hate it when that happens."

Batgirl took off the headphones and opened the canopy as Batman and the Bandit walked up behind the Batmobile.

"You're real good," she said to the Bandit. The Bandit just shrugged his shoulder and popped another cigarette in his mouth. He looked at Batman as he lit it.

"Did Gordon tell you anything else while I was with Scapelli?" the Bandit asked talking a puff.

"The lab is processing the case of money right now," Batman replied. "They're being very thorough, so we won't know anything until mid-morning."

"Shame you couldn't get the buyer's name," Batgirl said returning to the computer. "But I might be able to shed some light on that." Typing with lightning speed, Batgirl accessed the police's computer. She brought up the Stonegate's and Arkham's manifests and looked for anything out of the ordinary. Within seconds, Batgirl found what she was looking for. "Stonegate's got every prisoner accounted for. But it's not the same for Arkham, two men are missing," she said to the two men. "Two-Face has been on the lam for a while now, and the Joker escaped last week. Neither one has been seen since." Batgirl said. The Dark Knight said nothing. He was deep in thought, deciding the next move. The Bandit stood still, taking another puff of his cigarette.

"The deal has been in play for months now, it's not likely the Joker is the buyer. But Two-Face could be," Batman said. "Let's compile all the data we have. What do you have, Bandit?"

"A lot," the Bandit replied taking another drag. "Scapelli and my research on the cannon take up 6 gigabytes of memory on my laptop. I've got all of his movements and bank transactions from the last two weeks, all of his known affiliates, aliases, as well as every bit of info I could gather for 3 months. There is also complete research and test data on the cannon."

"I can interface and download all of the data to the Batcomputer from here," Batgirl said holding out her hand. "Can you hand me your laptop?" The Bandit shook his head, blowing more smoke from his mouth. Both bats were surprised from the Bandit's answer.

"I custom built that laptop from scratch, with several safeguards to prevent any data from getting into the wrong hands," the Bandit said flicking his cigarette away. "One of those safeguards is a wireless inhibitor. It's impossible for my computer to access or be accessed without a direct interface with another mainframe."

"Alright," Batman began. "You two take the Batmobile and head over to the storage locker, and see what you can find. I'll take the Bandit's motorcycle and computer back to the cave and start working on the data." The Bandit looked at Batgirl before reaching into his trench coat pocket, and pulled out his motorcycle keys.

"Be careful, she's got teeth," the Bandit said tossing the keys to Batman. The Dark Knight gave no response as he caught them in one hand. "When you turn on my laptop, call me on com link so I can override the security lock-outs." With a nod, Batman walked over and mounted the Bandit's bike. The Bandit's helmet was a little bigger than what Batman needed, but all in all it wasn't a bad fit.

"Keep an eye out for trouble," the Dark Knight said lowering the shield. The Bandit said nothing as he walked around to the driver side and hopped in the Batmobile. The canopy his closed and the two vehicles roared to life.

"Which way to we go?" the Bandit asked Batgirl.

"Don't worry about it," Batgirl said nonchalantly. "Computer, auto drive. 213 Main Street, proximity sonar, activate."

"Destination confirmed, sonar activated. Estimated time to arrival, 11 minutes." the computer responded. The engine of the Bandit's bike roared and both vehicles speed off together. After a few seconds, Batman turned the bike in another direction and the Bandit and Batgirl were on their own. The quiet in the Batmobile didn't last very long.

"The stories are true?" Batgirl said with some shock in her voice. "You really do threaten suspects with physical harm?" The Bandit turned his head to Batgirl and took a long breath.

"Most people crack with simple threats, you no doubt know this," he began. "Some you need to push the limit."

"Were you serious?" Batgirl asked.

"About what?" the Bandit responded.

"That the half inch would disappear," she said. Working with Batman had taught Batgirl much about interrogation. She and Batman used a lot of scare tactics, but never threatened to use weapons.

"No, I'd never cross that line," the Bandit started. "But as long as the crooks don't know that, it's an advantage."

"Then why do you carry those daggers? You didn't even use them in the alley," Batgirl asked.

"I rarely use them at all," he started. "I prefer to use my hands rather than pull my daggers out. Even though I'm more of a brawler, I'm a fully trained knife fighter. My hands can kill, but I don't want that. But if I need to intimidate someone or get a point across, that's when I use them. This was actually the first time I pulled them in almost a year." Batgirl was amazed that someone could carry lethal weapons like that, and refuse to use them unless he needed an edge. "How's your leg?"

"It's a little sore. The local you gave me wore off before you went into the precinct," the female crime fighter responded. Batgirl paused for a moment before speaking again. "Have you killed anyone with those?" she asked. The Bandit said nothing for a minute. Batgirl could tell he did not want to share that with her. She didn't blame him; no sane person would want to discuss a fatality.

"Can anyone see into the windows?" the Bandit asked after a moment.

"No, why?" Batgirl asked. She turned to find him fumbling with his mask. The Bandit pulled at the ties around the back of his head and slowly pulled his mask off. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"You are putting a lot of trust in a man you were not acquainted with until a couple hours ago," the Bandit started as he lowered the jumbled mass of leather to his lap. "I just want to return the trust." The Bandit then extended his right hand to Batgirl. "My name is Nicholas Reese." Batgirl looked with wide eyes as she took in Reese's face. His light brown hair was short and matted a little from the mask. A round, majestic looking face housed his deep brown eyes. One very faded scar was barely visible above his left eyebrow. His medium sized lips were curled into a cute smirk above a strong looking cleft chin. Batgirl breath was taken away by how handsome Nick was.

"Reese? As in Reese Software?" Batgirl said trying to regain her composure.

"The very same." Reese said with a bow. Batgirl was in plain shock that the Bandit revealed his true identity to her. Though she knew the identities of many other heroes, no one had ever revealed one so quickly. She hadn't even revealed her identity to Batman until months after they started working together. Her shock eventually fell, and she grabbed the sides of her cowl with her hands. In one movement, Batgirl pulled her cowl off. Nick couldn't help but gasp at the beauty the hidden beneath. Lovely, blue eyes contrasted the girl's flowing red hair. Batgirl's black colored lips and supple cheeks complimented the rest of her perfectly. There was a slight blush in her cheeks, almost like she was embarrassed.

"Nice to meet you, Nick. I'm Barbara Gordon," she said reaching out with her blood stained glove and shook her new friend's hand.

"Gordon, as in Commissioner Gordon?" Nick asked shocked.

"The very same," Barbara responded arching her wrist and touching her chest with her fingertips.

"What's the top cop's daughter doing running around in a costume like that?" Reese asked inquisitively.

"I have my reason's the same as you," she answered. The young heroes didn't pry any further on that subject. For Reese, it brought up painful reasons as to why donned his Black Bandit costume.

"Do you mind if I ask you something, Barbara?" asked Reese. Barbara just nodded. "Why were you dancing in the middle of your patrol?" Barbara curled her lips into a small smile and crossed her arms.

"Shouldn't we be discussing the case?" Barbara asked. Truthfully, she was trying to avoid that subject.

"There's no more to go on until we examine the locker," the young man replied. Barbara knew that answer was coming, she rolled her eyes a little before giving in.

"I guess I was just starved for some fun. I've been wearing this costume every night for the last few weeks. When I heard my favorite song begin, I couldn't help myself," she said. "Even though I've took it upon myself to become Batgirl, sometimes I would love to just be Barbara Gordon, you know. Just go out, have a good time, get crazy with my friends."

"Join the club, Barbara," Reese said non chalant. "I haven't even held a girl's hand in months." Barbara responded by lightly placing her fingertips on the back of Reese's hand. She playful slid her fingers down into his open palm. Both Reese and Barbara exchanged a smile before Reese closed his hand on hers. Brown and blue eyes met as the car slowed to a stop.

"By the way, I wanted to…" Barbara started.

"Destination achieved, auto drive deactivating," the computer said interrupting Barbara. Reese cursed to himself. His eyes met Barbara's again, but both were all business.

"Lock and load, Batgirl," Reese said as both heroes put their masks back on. "Ok, let's see how big a bite this go-kart has." Reese took hold of the wheel and began guiding the Batmobile into the storage lot. The car jumped forward as he put a little too much pressure on the accelerator. "Oops," he said. Batgirl let out a little giggle. The yard was a large lot with several rows of storage lockers lined up next to each other. When they pulled up to the guard house, they saw the gate was wide open and a night watchman was lying face down on the ground. The Bandit opened the canopy and leapt out of the car. He ran over to the guard just as he was coming to.

"Is he ok?" Batgirl called from her seat. The Bandit was running his hands over the guards head, checking for anything out of the ordinary. He felt a large bump on the back of his head.

"Blow to the back of the head, but he'll be ok," the Bandit said looking at Batgirl. "What happened?" the Bandit asked the guard.

"I…was making my rounds…when I heard something behind me," he began. "Before I knew it, someone hit me from behind. All I remember was the sound of metal pinging, like a coin being flipped." Batgirl and the Bandit looked at each other both thinking the same thing. The Bandit helped the guard into his booth and ran back to the Batmobile. He didn't bother to close the canopy as the vehicle raced into the lot. Within seconds they came to locker 63. The Bandit turned the car around so Batgirl was facing the structure. The door was wide open and the contents thrown about.

"We're too late," the Bandit said angrily striking the steering wheel. He hopped out of the Batmobile and began examining the garage.

"Batman, come in," Batgirl said into her earpiece.

"What is it, Batgirl?" the two heroes heard in their earpieces. "The locker's been ransacked and the guard was knocked out. He said he heard something like a coin being flipped before losing consciousness."

"It looks like Two-Face was the buyer alright, Batman," the Bandit added. There was a pause over the com link that lasted for a moment.

"Gather whatever evidence you can find, I'm two minutes away from the cave," Batman said before he ended his transmission. The Bandit made a few unsuccessful tries to get back in touch with Batman. Finally, he gave up and turned to Batgirl.

"I heard Batman wasn't big on conversation, but this is ridiculous," the Bandit said.

"He gets that way when Two-Face is involved," Batgirl responded. "I'd tell you more, but that's Batman's business." She thought about getting out of the car to help the Bandit, but stopped before she took her seatbelt off. The crooks of Gotham have eyes everywhere, and her leg was still heavily bandaged up. Revealing any injury was like putting a big target on her back. Batgirl settled for staying in the car.

The Bandit took in the whole of the small, 6x6x6 garage. One single tube light brightly lit the small room. The whole room, floor, walls, and ceiling, was painted an off-white color that magnified the light. Only a few cardboard boxes broke the bright color. The Bandit walked into the garage and opened the tossed boxes. His hopes for a clue were quickly dashed. "Nothing but clothes and some extra ammo in here," he said. The Bandit turned towards the door and walked out. He noted the floor paint had no major flaws in it, and there were no smudges or debris. "And the floor was recently painted," he added. "I don't think we are going to get much in here, if anything at all."

"Try the door," Batgirl said. The Bandit walked out and pulled the door of the small garage down by the frame. He eyed the handle of the door when it came to eye level.

"All my gear is on the bike, got dust?" he asked. Batgirl said nothing as she reached into the console of the Batmobile. She tossed the Bandit a small pouch. "Thanks," the Bandit said. He opened the case and took the small brush and powder case from the pouch and got to work. He carefully dusted the powder on the handle, but nothing came up. "They must have been wearing gloves," he finally said.

"If there are no prints on the handle, it's a good guess there won't be any inside or on the door either," Batgirl said dejectedly. The Bandit lowered the door to the ground and turned to where the padlock would be. The latch was mangled and deep scratch marks were all over the small area. Fortune smiled on the two though, a small smudge of red was on the pad latch.

"Bingo," the Bandit said with a little gusto. "We may have some blood."

"Here's the TMB kit," Batgirl said tossing another pouch to the Bandit. The Bandit caught the pouch but just stared at Batgirl.

"No wonder you can only seat two people in that thing," he said. "You got the kitchen sink in there too?" the Bandit asked. Both shared another smile while the Bandit opened the pouch and removed a swab from the kit. He gently rubbed the edge of the smudge, and squeezed a few drops of TMB onto the tip. The swab turned bright pink instantaneously, giving them a big clue. "It's blood alright," the Bandit said slide the protective plastic cap over the tip.

"Better double up the sample," Batgirl said. The Bandit nodded and took another swab from the kit. He swabbed more of the blood and snapped the protective cap over the tip. Removing a small evidence bag from his belt, the Bandit placed both swabs in the bag and placed it in his breast pocket. He packed up both kits and returned them to Batgirl in the car. Just as Batgirl returned the kits to their storage places, Batman's voice returned to the com links.

"Bandit, I'm ready to begin compiling the data."

"Ok, Batman," the Bandit began. "Can you put me on speaker or something?" Batgirl and the Bandit heard Batman press a button over the com link. Their ears were met with hollow echoes and the sound of water drops native to Batman's lair. "Computer, override security lock-outs. User zero one, authorization pi-gama-three-eight-niner." There was a brief silence before the laptop's voice was heard.

"Override, accepted."

"Did you find anything?" Batman asked.

"Black Bandit found some blood of the door, no prints or any trace." Batgirl said.

"Return to the Batcave," Batman started. "Both of you, Batman out." The Bandit walked around to the driver side and hopped into the Batmobile, Batgirl handed the Bandit a blindfold. He chuckled as the canopy hissed closed.

"What?" Batgirl asked as the Bandit took the cloth and covered his eyes with it.

"Taking me home on the first date?" the Bandit said.

"It's not my home," Batgirl retorted. "And I didn't know this was date." The Bandit just smiled as Batgirl pushed a button, bringing the Batmobile to life. "Auto drive, engage. Home."


	5. Chapter 4: Secrets Revealed

Chapter 4:

Secrets Revealed

The Batmobile thundered through the streets of Gotham, speeding back to the lair of its dark protector. Batgirl and the Bandit's playful flirting was on the back burner. This mission had become more than simple weapon retrieval. They now had evidence that could tie one of Gotham's most dangerous men to the crime. The Bandit sat quietly in the driver seat. His fingers were interlaced and his head was bowed down. The knuckles of his hands rested on the blindfold he wore. He was in deep thought.

"Did you hear me?" Batgirl asked. The Bandit snapped his head up from the sound of Batgirl's voice.

"Hmm?" the Bandit replied.

"The positron laser cannon. I asked you what it does."

"Sorry," he replied. "The cannon is new breakthrough in covert operation technology. In theory, it changes the state of matter by accelerating the molecules of whatever its beam is focused on. Anything within its beam can be passed through; like a ghost phasing through a wall." Batgirl was in disbelief at what the Bandit was telling her.

"I find it very hard to believe this kind of technology exists," Batgirl finally said.

"I couldn't believe it myself, until I hacked the military's files," the Bandit continued. "This kind of weapon would enable operatives to infiltrate fortified bunkers, enemy strongholds, anywhere our boys needed to go. But in the hands of a criminal," the Bandit began.

"They could use it to break into anywhere they want," Batgirl finished. The Batmobile left the tall buildings of Gotham City and entered the isolated roads that led to Wayne Manor. "I can see why Two-Face would want that weapon," she said calmly.

"That's not all," the Bandit said. "The cannon's function had a side effect. It accelerates the particles too quickly, and molecular cohesion broke down as soon as the beam terminated. Whatever its beam was focused on crumbled to dust within seconds." Batgirl nodded quietly at what the Bandit was saying. "While in transit to Fort Dix for further testing, Scapelli stole the positron laser cannon." Batgirl said nothing in response to the Bandit's last statement. Her body and mind were numb from the thoughts of what Two-Face could do with the cannon. A weapon like that in the hands of only a common thug was dangerous enough. But Two-Face wasn't any thug. He was one of Batman's most dangerous foes. Cold, destructive, no regard for human life. Batgirl still could not believe that this monster was once a champion of justice, and Bruce Wayne's closest friend. The thought sent a deep chill up her spine.

The Batmobile turned off the main road and was winding down a hidden mountain road. Batgirl turned her head to see the ocean from the window of the Batmobile. In front of them, a large metal drawbridge shaped like the rock face opened, welcoming the Batmobile home. Once safely inside and the drawbridge had closed, Batgirl reached up and untied the blindfold covering the Bandit's eyes. The Bandit blinked and rubbed his eyes, trying to adjust his vision to very low light in tunnel. After a brief moment of only the headlights providing light, the tunnel opened up and the two were in the lair of the Dark Knight. The Batmobile came to a stop and began to rotate on the turntable. Once it had stopped, the canopy hissed open and echoes flooded the ears of Batgirl and the Bandit. The Batmobile had stopped a few feet away from the Bandit's motorcycle.

"Welcome to the Batcave," Batgirl said. The Bandit almost didn't hear her as he exited the vehicle. He was in awe of everything he saw. Stalactites hung down from the ceiling all around him, dripping water from their points. The air was cold and had a crisp smell to it. He walked to the edge of the Batmobile's platform and looked down. He was greeted by long view down to a river that flowed at the bottom of the cave. Moored to a small dock, the Bandit saw the Batboat. He gave a whistle taking in the distance from his position high above the river. The Bandit turned around to see Batgirl with both hands on the sidewall of the Batmobile, trying to get out. He said nothing and walked over to her and offered his hand.

Batgirl looked up to see the Bandit's hand stretched out to her and his eyes fixated on hers again. She took his hand and the Bandit bent down to Batgirl's level to help her. She wrapped her arms around the Bandit's neck, while he wrapped one arm around her lower back, and the other around her thigh, cupping Batgirl's legs at the back of the knee. Gently, she was lifted out of the Batmobile, and Batgirl's left leg found the ground. The Bandit let his grip go on her legs and Batgirl was standing on her own. But neither hero released their arms. Together they stood chest to chest, Batgirl's arms around remained around the Bandit's neck. His arm stayed around her waist, both sets of eyes met once again. For a brief moment, they stood frozen.

"We have work to do," Batgirl said nervously. She moved her right hand onto the Bandit's chest and gave a slight push away. In the brief second she touched his chest, Batgirl had felt the Bandit's heart. It was racing. "Go up the stairs and help Batman, I'll catch up." The Bandit nodded and began to walk away. He left his hand on the swell of Batgirl's back, and slid it off as the distance between the two increased. As the Bandit's hand came off her back, he lightly grabbed Batgirl's forearm and let his hand slide down her glove and off her finger tips. Batgirl felt her entire body shiver. Their eyes broke contact and Bandit walked off to the stairs leading to the next platform. The Bandit tapped the headlight of his motorcycle as he passed it. He ascended the steps quickly, eager to find out what Batman had discovered.

Batgirl however, leaned against the side of the Batmobile. Her blood stained glove was on her chest. Like the Bandit, her heart was racing, and she was short of breath. "Ok, Barbara," she thought. "Calm down before you pass out again. You were flirting with him; of coarse he is going to flirt with you." Her thoughts were racing as her hormones attempted to take control of her body. Closing her eyes, Batgirl took some deep breaths to calm her body down. After a moment, her heart slowed and her body was calm again. "Shouldn't have said I'd jump the first guy who showed interest," she said slightly limping to the stairs. Though her leg was in diminishing pain, Batgirl climbed the stairs slowly. When she reached the top, it was only a short walk to the Batcomputer. There she saw Batman and the Bandit talking while they looked at the massive computer screen. "Any luck?" she called.

"We won't know for a while," Batman started. "The Bandit wasn't exadurating when he said he had 6 gigabytes of data. It'll be a few hours before the download is complete and a couple more to compile it." Batman returned to the blood samples Batgirl and the Bandit collected. "Did you touch these samples at all, Batgirl?" he asked. She shook her head. Batman entered a small amount of each sample into his scanner. After a few moments, the computer matched both samples. "It's Two-Face alright, DNA is a perfect match," said Batman.

"But now we have a bigger problem. Unless Two-Face makes a move, or some new evidence comes from the case of money," the Bandit began.

"All we can do is wait," Batgirl finished. The Bandit nodded with her, and turned his attention to the computer.

"Your town, your call," the Bandit said to Batman. "What's the next move, Batman?" Batman looked down, bringing his hand to his chin. He turned to the computer, seeing barely 2% of the Bandit's data had been downloaded. Batman took note of the time, close to 5 in the morning. He heard Batgirl let out a loud yawn and pondered calling it a night. All of a sudden, Batman heard Batgirl let out a gasp, he quickly turned to see the Bandit removing his mask. Batgirl made no other movement as the leather of the Bandit's mask was pulled forward and the Bandit revealed Nick Reese to the Dark Knight.

"Thank you for all your help, Batman," Reese started. Batman said nothing as he himself removed the leather of his mask, revealing Bruce Wayne. Batgirl was flabbergasted by this, and visibly angry.  
"I can't believe this," Batgirl started angrily. She pulled her cowl off and put her hands on her hips. "It took how long for you to trust me with your secret, and Nick gets it in one night?" Bruce turned to her with one eyebrow cocked.

"In Ancient Japan, revealing one's face under your mask is a symbol of ultimate respect and trust," he began.

"Though today it's mostly found in Mexican Lucha Libre," Nick finished.

"Besides, you didn't show me your face when we first met, Barbara," Bruce finished. Barbara couldn't argue with that. In a huff, she stomped her right leg, forgetting she had fresh stitches in her leg. A bolt of pain shot up her body, Barbara clenched her teeth and grabbed at her leg. Bruce shook head while Nick let out a small chuckle.

"She's got fire, Bruce," Nick laughed. Bruce said nothing as he pressed a button on the console before turning back to the two young crime fighters.

"Let's call it a night," he began. "I have meetings at Wayne Enterprises in a few hours and I'm sure you have calls to make to Reese Software." Nick nodded in agreement. "I'm going to turn in, you're welcome to stay here until we retrieve the cannon, Nick." Bruce stood up and turned to leave, but stopped himself. Swiftly, he brought a leather covered finger right into Nick's face. "But you abide by my rules, understand?" Reese nodded.

"My word?" a voice called from behind. All three turned to see an older gentleman dressed in formal attire walking up to them. "What the Devil happened, Ms. Gordon?" Alfred Pennyworth walked up to everyone with a look of concern for the young lady.

"Just a scratch, Alfred. I'm ok," she responded. Alfred showed the relief on his face.

"Thank heavens you are alright," he said.

"Thank Nick," she started. "He's the one who saved me, and stitched me up." Alfred turned to Nick smiling, eternally grateful for the service he had done.

"Welcome to Wayne Manor sir, I am Alfred Pennyworth," he began with a bow. "If there is anything you require, I am at your service."

"Just need some coffee and a sink to clean off my coat," Reese responded, taking note that Batgirl's blood was had dried on his arm and torso.

"Count me in for that coffee," Batgirl added. Alfred nodded and turned to his employer.

"Nothing for me, Alfred. I am going to get some sleep before I have to go into the office," Bruce said.

"Very good, Master Bruce," Alfred said as he led the two young heroes to the service elevator. Nick took note that Barbara's limp was getting less noticeable. Either she didn't feel the pain anymore, or she was ignoring. He also found himself looking Barbra's legs up and down. Shapely and tone, Nick had noticed their soft and muscular feel as he picked her up before, twice. Unfortunately, Barbara caught him eyeing her legs.

"You'd better be thinking about my stitches," she said playfully. The three stepped into the elevator. Barbara leaned up against the side, waiting for Reese to respond. The doors closed and Nick still remained quiet.

"I plea the fifth," was all he said as the elevator began to rise. Nick crossed his arms and relaxed in the elevator. His eyes where locked on Barbara's, silently challenging her.

"Okay, Mr. Reese," Barbara thought. "Two can play that game." Barbara put most of her weight on her left leg and crossed her ankles. She looked down at the floor and began sliding her ankle up and down her shin. Reese couldn't help but catch a glance at this. The spandex stuck to her legs like a second skin, seductively hiding and revealing her beautiful legs. Barbara took her left hand and began drawing a little circle on her upper thigh. Reese reacted by letting out a deep sigh, trying to control himself. Barbara relaxed her face, letting her eyes go half parted and slightly pouted her lips. Nick saw the look on her face and couldn't help but pant a little at her actions. Just as the elevator came to a stop, Barbara started humming Shaggy's "Angel." When the door opened, Nick held out his arm, giving Barbara the right of way. She continued humming as she walked out of the elevator, into the corridor.

"She's good," Reese thought as he stepped into Wayne Manor. Alfred shook his head as he stepped off last.

"To be young again," he thought to himself. The secret elevator door closed behind them and retreated into the wall, hidden from the rest of the world.

"Alfred," Barbara began. "Would you get me something to change into from my room, please? I'll show our guest to the kitchen." Alfred said nothing, he gave a slight nod and went on his way. The two young heroes were left alone in the hall. Barbara put a hand on Nick's shoulder and began walking with him. The sound of their boots was the only noise echoing in the halls of Wayne Manor. Suddenly, Nick stopped walking, Barbara stopped with him. She had a puzzled look on her face as Nick bent his arm, offering his elbow to Barbara. With a smile, she placed her hand in the fold of Nick's arm and the two continued on. Soon they came to the kitchen and welcomed the smell of fresh coffee. Barbara took a seat at the table and pointed out where the coffee mugs were.

"How do you like your coffee?" Nick asked pulling two mugs from the cabinet.

"Black," she responded relaxing back into the chair. Nick poured two cups of the hot liquid and joined Barbara at the table.

"Another college trait?" Nick asked. Barbara nodded as she took a sip from the hot drink. "I never had a taste for the stuff until I went to school too."

"Neither did I," Barbara said. "I guess its one of the things that grow on you." She put the mug down and put her free hand on Nick's arm. He stopped mid-sip when Barbara touched his arm. "Before I forget," she started. "I never got a chance to…"

"Respecting your privacy, Ms. Gordon, I keep some of your athletic garments in this tote for a quick retrieval. I prefer not rummaging through a lady's quarters," Alfred said in the archway. Barbara rolled her eyes before turning to face Alfred.

"That's a good idea. Thank you, Alfred," Barbara said as calmly as possible. She walked over to a drawer and removed a pair of scissors. "I think it's safe to say this pair of leggings is done." Barbara took the small tote bag from Alfred and walked into the large pantry. She opened the door and turned back to Nick. "No peeking, we don't know each other well enough yet," she said with a chuckle. Nick stood up as Barbara closed the door. The sound of Alfred clearing his throat reminded Nick, they weren't exactly alone in the kitchen.

"So," Nick said nervously. "Can you show me where I can clean myself up, Alfred." Alfred looked at the blood on Reese's person. Under the bright light in the kitchen, both Alfred and Nick could make out how much blood Barbara had gotten on him. He wasn't covered in blood, but there was a noticeable amount. The lower right arm of Nick's coat had patches of blood on it. His torso and lower parts of his coat had noticeable streaks and large patches of blood. Underneath his coat, however, there were spots of blood on the spandex covering Nick's chest.

"A simple wash cloth will take the blood off your chest, Master Reese," Alfred said handing a clean washrag to Reese. "Permit me to take you coat to the wash room, I have a natural ability to remove blood from leather." Nick reached into his coat and removed his daggers from their sheaths before removing his coat. Alfred took it and turned to go into another room. "Feel free to use the kitchen sink, Master Reese. I will use some bleach to clean it later."

"Thank you, Alfred," Nick said as he turned on the water. Wetting the rag, Nick began cleaning Barbara's blood off his gloves first. After rinsing the wash cloth, Nick began washing the blood from his chest. He didn't notice that Barbara had finished changing and come out of the pantry. She placed the tote now containing her Batgirl costume and eyed Nick up and down. With his coat off, she could see much more of Nick. His costume top was sleeveless and made entirely of spandex. Leather was mixed in to cover the more vulnerable areas of his chest and abdomen. The utility belt he had around his waist only had half the compartments she and Batman used. Tight spandex covered his legs and were tucked into his boots. Underneath the spandex, Barbara could see his body was well toned. Thick thigh muscle, a well defined back, though Nick's midsection was thick, it wasn't from fat. Just a barrel torso. She took note of how Nick's arm muscles twitched as he cleaned his chest off. She licked her lips thinking that those arms had been wrapped around her, held her up, and carried her all in one night. Barbara shook her head trying to keep her hormones in check. On his arms were some tattoos, Chinese she guessed.

"What do those mean?" she asked. Nick turned around and blushed at Barbara. She was wearing a revealing white tank top and tight athletic shorts. The top had thin straps holding it in place, and the U-cut was low enough to any man hot under the collar. Her athletic shorts were slightly looser than the leggings from her costume. But they were cut to cover only the bare essentials. Barbara's legs were in full view and Nick took note of how they looked. Tone, curvy, the muscles twitched with the smallest movement. Her legs were perfect. Even with the stitches and patches of dried blood, they were perfect. "Come on, Nick," she said taking the washrag. It was then Nick realized he had frozen in position for a few minutes. He tried to cover his mistake, but Barbara cut him off before he could speak. "Nick, relax," she started. "And pick your tongue up off the ground." Barbara began wiping the dried blood off her leg and returned to her coffee, very proud that she had frozen Nick in place. "I asked you what your tattoos meant, they look Chinese."

"They are," said Nick rejoining Barbara at the table. "They mean earth, air, fire, and water." Nick finished his coffee and popped another cigarette into his mouth. He eyed the glass doors leading to a very large, concrete deck. "I got into mediation and spirituality a couple years ago."

"Bruce doesn't allow smoking in the house," Barbara said getting up and walking toward the doors leading out to the massive deck. Nick joined her outside and gave Barbara another cigarette. Lighting both up, the two relaxed as the nicotine entered their systems. Barbara leaned against the banister folding one arm under her chest, giving her a little lift. Nick took notice and smirked before taking another drag from his cigarette. The wind from the ocean was blowing very gently. It caught Barbara's red hair and blew it to one side of her head. Her beauty became intoxicating. Nick's body was telling him to make a move. Her eyes, lips, charm, beauty and bravery were driving Nick mad. But listening to his logic, Nick continued to play it close to the chest.

"You feel your leg anymore?" Nick asked taking another drag.

"Why, do you want to feel it instead?" she retorted. Nick choked on the smoke he had just inhaled. Barbara let out a smoke filled laugh. After Nick got his breath back, the two continued laughing. "I still feel some pain, I'm just ignoring it," Barbara said.

"You play tough," Nick replied.

"You have no idea," Barbara finished as she flicked her cigarette off the deck. Nick followed suit before letting out a yawn. "I think it's time for bed," the redhead said with a cute smile.

"Yea?" Nick began. "Now say it like we are not going to the same bed." Barbara smiled and gave a playful slap to Nick's arm. The two walked back into the kitchen and were greeted by Alfred. He had Nick's coat in hand, devoid of the bloodstains. Nick thanked Alfred before taking his trench coat back. He replaced the two daggers into their sheaths, placed his gloves in a pocket, and slung the coat over his arm.

"Will there be anything else you require?" Alfred asked.

"No thank you, Alfred," Barbara said. "I'll show Nick to a spare room, why don't you see if Bruce needs anything." Alfred nodded and left the two heroes alone. Nick walked over to Barbara's side and offered his arm again. She took it and they walked into another corridor. A few steps in, Barbara placed her free hand on Nick's arm and began stroking his forearm. Her soft touch against Nick's forearm sent a shot of electricity up Nick's spine, while the feel of the muscles under Barbara fingers drew an interested moan from her. "Come on Barb, don't give in so easily," Barbara thought. "But if his arm is this nice, I wonder if the rest of him looks good."

"So what made you become Batgirl," Nick asked placing his free hand on top of Barbara's. Nick used only the slightest pressure from his fingertips on the back of Barbara's hand. She blushed and cleared her throat to speak.

"Simple story," she began. "Dad was framed for a crime he didn't commit. I made a Batman costume to impersonate him at a support rally, make it look like Batman knew Dad was innocent. There was a shootout, and my costume got torn, showing my hair. The media picked up on it, and I became Batgirl. It took a while for Bruce to warm up to me though."

"That must have been awkward when the two of you first met up," Nick said. The two came to the stairs leading to the second level. Barbara's leg wasn't in much pain anymore, but before she could say a word, Nick had picked her up bridal style again.

"Oh, my hero," she cooed sarcastically. Both laughed as Nick carried Barbara up the stairs. About half way up, Nick's thumb began moving back and forth, feeling Barbara's leg. Barbara noticed and dropped her head a little, enjoying the soft touch against her leg. Electricity began shooting through both of their bodies. Nick tried to adjust himself as he felt a bulge begin to grow in his groin. Barbara, however, began to pant as the blood rushed to her womanhood. Try as she did, she couldn't stop herself from getting wet. At the top of the stairs, Nick let Barbara down gently. They froze and blue and brown eyes met again. Barbara raised a hand delicately to Nick's cheek. She placed her fingertips softly on his face. "You are either crazy or brave feeling my leg like that," she said panting. Their two hearts were racing. Barbara took Nick's arm again and they began walking again. "So, um, what made you become the Black Bandit," she asked with a slight pause. Nick flexed his shoulders, trying to calm himself down. His face got very serious as he remembered the event that caused him to don the Black Bandit costume. Nick fought back tears, his heart began to fill with rage.

"I apologize, Barbara," he started. "It's a little too painful for me to talk about."

"Oh, I'm sorry to bring it up, Nick," she said.

"It's ok," he said. Barbara stopped at a door and opened it.

"You can stay here," she said as the two walked in. The room was large, and nicely furnished for a guest room. King sized bed, side tables, a chest of drawers, mahogany everywhere, a flat screen TV, and full bathroom. Nick tossed his coat, on the bed and eyed the bathroom.

"A hot shower sounds good right now," he started. Nick heard the door close behind him and turned to see Barbara still in the room. Her back was to him, but Nick still heard Barbara lock the door. She turned around without saying a word. "I know we've been flirting all night, but I didn't think you were that kind of girl."  
"Never on the first date, Nicky," Barbara said softly.

"You said this wasn't a date," Nick responded.

"It's not because you haven't asked me out," Barbara said as she walked over to Nick. "But I've been interrupted twice trying to do this." She got close to Nick and took his hand. "Thank you, for saving my life."

"You're welcome," Nick said as Barbara put her arms around her rescuer's neck. Slowly she pulled him close to her. Both heroes closed their eyes slowly as their lips met. The kiss was chaste, but soft and passionate. Barbara felt as if her whole body was going to burst into flames. Nick moved his hands around Barbara's lower back, she broke the kiss and looked in his brown eyes. The two said nothing as their lips met each other again, lust beginning to take hold of them. Their mouths parted together and their tongues began to dance together slowly. Hearts began beating faster and blood rushed to both their groins. Nick's bulge returned and poked at Barbara upper pelvic area. Her juices began to flow, as Barbara struggled not to lose herself. A soft moan escaped Barbara's mouth. The two tightened their grip on each other until Barbara loosened her grip first. Though her body protested when the kiss was broken, both Barbara and Nick opened their eyes to smiling faces. Nick broke the embrace as Barbara turned to the door. Both were panting like they had gone a few rounds with Bane.

"Barbara," Nick said. The young redhead turned to Nick as her hand reached for the doorknob. "It make take sometime to track Two-Face and recover the cannon. Maybe we can do something together while I'm here."

"Are you asking me on a date?" she asked. Nick only gave her a wink. Barbara gave a slight chuckle as she unlocked and opened the door. "I'd love to, Nick. I'll see you in the morning."

"It is the morning," Nick retorted pointing to the window. The orange glow of the sun was beginning to invade the dying night sky.

"Smart ass Jersey Boy," she said closing the door. Outside she leaned against the door, heart racing and body very angry with lust. Her womanhood was so wet it was beginning to seep through her shorts. Right there in the hallway, she slid her hand down her shorts and rubbed her clit gently. She moaned quietly as she brushed her folds, feeling the slickness of her pussy. Her other hand slid up her shirt, kneaded her breasts and pinched her erect nipples. She parted her pussy with the ring and index finger, and gasped as her middle finger entered her pussy. It moved in and out slowly, gently brushing against her g-spot. Barbara's lust was going wild, her cheeks flushed with blood and heat, but she fought all of it. "Calm down," she thought. She forced her hand to stop teasing her lips and froze. "Not tonight pussy. I'm sick of masturbating. I want the touch of a man." Barbara slowly pulled her hand out of her shorts. Her fingertips were dripping with her juice. She licked her nectar from her fingers; the sweet taste drove her to be even more lustful, but she refused to give in. If she was right about jumping on the first guy that showed interest, she didn't want anything spoiling it.

"SHIT, that's cold," Nick called from the spare room. Barbara laughed as she walked off to the guest room Bruce had given her.

"Looks like he feels the same way," she said softly. Barbara stopped a few doors away and entered her room. It was adorned the same as the one Nick was in, but there was an armoire in place of a chest of drawers and make up sprawled in front of a vanity mirror. She stayed here once in a while when her patrols ended late and was too tired to head home. Barbara skipped the bed and went into the bathroom. Opening the medicine cabinet and took out fresh gauze and medical tape and began removing the old dressing. When she pulled the gauze off, there was a minimal amount of blood on it. She examined the stitch job and her wound. There was no redness, swelling, nor any other sign of infection setting in. Barbara rubbed anti-septic lotion on her leg and reached for fresh gauze. It didn't take her long to redress her wound. Barbara thought of how she would explain this to her father, but her mind drew a blank. Deciding she would think about it later, Barbara turned off the light and made her way to the bed. Her heart had finally slowed down, and her lust was subsiding. Barbara opened the side table drawer and removed a cell phone she kept her for just such an occasion. With a yawn she turned it on and sat down on the bed, there were no new messages. As she slipped under the covers and found her pillow, she smiled. "A date with Nick Reese, the Black Bandit. I better not have to cancel it." Her eyes closed and the peaceful bliss of sleep took her. The last thing she saw was the clock, it was almost 6 in the morning.


	6. Chapter 5: Making Plans

Chapter 5:

Making Plans

Barbara awoke to the sound of the phone ringing. Groaning she sat up and looked at the clock, it was 3:20 in the afternoon. A rough night, stitches, and going to bed half full of lust did not make this a very good morning, so to speak. If only she had a Batarang, that phone would regret waking her up.

"Good thing Friday is my day off from class and work," she said. Looking at the caller ID, she saw the call was from Metropolis. With a yawn she picked up the phone to a very familiar voice. "Hello," she asked.

"Babs, its Kara," came over the receiver. "Are you ok?"

"Huh?" Barbara said rubbing her eyes, and sitting up in bed.

"I heard you got shot last night," the Girl of Steel said.

"How do you know that, Kara?" Barbara asked.

"Bruce spoke with Clark this morning," Kara began. "Something about an exclusive interview on today's business environment and recession's effect on it. Blah, blah, blah but you know they were also talking other business." The redhead rolled her eyes and let out another yawn.

"Yea, I'm ok. It just grazed my leg," said Barbara getting out of bed. She put the speaker phone on and walked into the bathroom to brush her hair. "Long story short, the Black Bandit saved my life; and he even stitched up my leg for me. Now he's working on the case with us."

"The Black Bandit's really is with you in Gotham?" Kara asked over the speaker.

"Yes, what of it?" the redhead asked.

"Bruce said you were flirting with the Bandit all night," the young blonde said.

"Is nothing secret among us heroes?" Barbara said annoyed. She ran the brush through her red hair, removing the surface levels of bed head.

"Nope," Kara said cheerfully.

"Yes, Kara," she began. "We flirted a little, but that's not all." Barbara heard a loud gasp from the other side of the line.

"Barbara," Kara gasped. "You didn't."

"No, I didn't," she started. "You know I'm not the kind of girl to jump in bed in one night. It started off with a little flirting, and then he took his mask off."

"Who is he, and is he cute?" Kara interrupted.

"Kara I can't tell you, but he is handsome," Barbara continued. "He is brave, caring, very smart and cunning as a fox. He owns a large company so he's very secure. But, oh my god, you should have seen his body when the Bandit took off his trench coat."

"I am so jealous of you, Barbara," said Kara. "Did you see any skin?"

"His costume is sleeveless," she began. "Most guys try to get as ripped as possible, he didn't. But I could see the muscles twitching under his spandex. He just looks intimidating and those big arms carried wounded little me all night."

"Aww," the blonde said. "Such a gentleman."

"Not completely, for that matter I wasn't exactly a proper lady last night," said Barbara. She could hear Kara whisper something but couldn't make it out. "I won't lie, there was a little groping, my legs, and his arms. The flirting defiantly got the better of us." Barbara put her brush away, and walked out of the bathroom with the phone at her ear.

"Oh, you lucky bitch," Kara said laughing. Barbara laughed with her best friend and decided it was time to make her insanely jealous.

"Of coarse the best part was the kiss," she began.

"WHAT!" a shocked Kara yelled. Barbara began laughing hysterically at her friend's reaction.

"Relax, Kara," Barbara began. "It was just a simple, standard issue, 'thank you for saving me kiss.'" Barbara heard Kara give an agreeing moan. "But the second kiss was just plain, hot.

"OH, MY GOD. BABS!" Kara shouted so loud, Barbara had to pull the phone from her ear. "Details, now." Barbara switched the phone to the other ear; her first was ringing from Kara's voice.

"The first kiss, he was just so gentle and soft with it," Barbara said calmly sitting onto the bed. "It sent shockwaves through me. When we broke it, I was so…drunk from the electricity that before I knew it, we were kissing again. Even using his tongue, Bandit was so gentle. It was warm and felt sincere. It was just so incredibly, sexy at the same time. It was painful to break it."

"Please, Barbara," Kara said panting heavily. "You're getting me hot."

"Kara, imagine that feeling times ten, and that's what I felt," she said. Thinking back to last night, Barbara felt her lust trying to crawl up on her again. Her hand clenched a fistful of sheets as she thought of what could have happened if she gave in. "We got to know a little about each other, too. He even asked me out."

"Lucky you," Kara said trailing off. "So do you like him?"

"I said yes to the date, didn't I?" the redhead responded.

"That's not what I asked," the blonde quipped. Barbara thought about it for a moment. Nick was well educated, smart, funny, handsome, very brave, but also was a nice guy and had a very caring nature to him.

"Yea, I do," Barbara said with a subtle smile.

"At the least we know, you're not just horny for him," Kara said sarcastically. Both girls let out a loud laugh at the blonde. "Shit, I got class now. Talk soon?"

"When do we not talk," the redhead smiled.

"Okay, glad to hear you are MORE than ok. Call me soon, Babsy," Kara said. Both hung up without saying goodbye. Barbara changed into a Gotham University t-shirt and a pair of pajama bottoms and left the room. Her leg had no more pain and her walking was back to what it was. She stopped at Nick's room and knocked on the door.

"Nick, you awake?" There was no answer. She opened the door but Nick was not in it, and the bathroom light was turned off. It was then she noticed Nick's costume was thrown on the unmade bed. Barbara blushed as she thought of him walking around the manor naked.

"Lex, we have been over this three times, and I am getting sick of you bringing it up," she heard from downstairs. Barbara walked over to the stairs and looked down to see Nick in a white t-shirt and pair of athletic shorts. He was pacing in the living room at the base of the stairs, on the phone. "I don't care how much profit we can potentially make, my company does not engage in cyber espionage." Nick paused to let Luthor speak and Barbara made her way down the stairs. Nick saw her and pointed to the phone with an angry look on his face. "Enough Lex, I've heard enough. I don't care that you are not used to hearing the word 'no.' I will not allow you to risk the reputation of my company for your own personal gain. My company has the controlling share in the project, so when I say no, I mean it." Nick stopped long enough to let Luthor speak a little more. He listened before his brow knit forward. Luthor had gotten on Nick's last nerve. "We are done; I'm pulling out of the project." Nick slammed the phone down and turned to Barbara. "I hate that man," Nick said.

"Join the club," Barbara said walking up to Nick. "What project would that be?"

"Joint venture with LexCorp to design new firewall and hacking software for the government. Lex wants to use it in the private sector." Nick started. "The first and last time I ever deal with Luthor." Barbara nodded in agreement. Most heroes knew Lex was trouble and the general public treated it like an urban legend. But some heroes were forced to deal with him in their normal lives.

"Where'd you get the clothes?" Barbara asked. Nick's tone barrel chest poked through the cotton and his calf muscles twitched in the midday light coming through the windows. Barbara liked what she saw.

"I didn't pack any spare clothes with me," he began. "I figured on catching Scapelli quickly. Alfred left me some of Bruce's spare workout clothes. I've already ordered some more from Bergduff's, they'll be delivered soon." Barbara took a seat on the couch. "How'd you sleep?" Nick asked.

"Don't know," she began. "Feels like I just closed my eyes when the phone rang. My friend Kara checking in on me."

"One of us I assume," interrupted Nick.

"Very few secrets among heroes and heroines," Barbara said sleepy. "Is the Batcomputer done with the data?"

"Bruce called twenty minutes ago," Nick began. "The data is downloaded and is compiling right now. He said his meetings finished early and is on his way back now."

"Good, I want to get started on this case," Barbara said. "Any mention of the case of money from last night?" Nick opened his mouth to answer when the front door opened. It was Bruce and Alfred.

"Nice to see the two of you up," Bruce said to the two.

"Afternoon, Bruce," Nick said. "Thanks for clothes while I wait for Bergduff's to get here."

"Don't mention it, Nick." Bruce walked to Barbara and looked her up and down. "You look like hell."

"If Kara hadn't called to check up on me, I'd still be asleep," she began. "Any news on whether there were clues from the case of money?"

"I accessed the lab's mainframe from the car on the way to work," Bruce said. "Trace elements were found on the cash and inside of the case. After I downloaded its chemical compound, I pinpointed where Two-Face could be. I'm going to examine the rest of the data in the cave; I'll decide our course of action later."

"Sounds good," Nick started. "When do we move in?"

"The two of you don't," Bruce said instantly. Both Nick and Barbara tried to argue but Bruce cut them off before two words could be spoken. "Barbara, you are not going out again until those stitches come out. You know it's a bad idea to do this if you are not at 100%."

"Said the man who has gone out blind, sick, and poisoned," Barbara quickly retorted. Nick snapped his head around with his mouth wide open in shock. He was shocked anyone had the audacity to question the man behind the Bat. Bruce simply ignored her and continued on.

"Nick, you've never faced someone like Two-Face before, he's just too unpredictable. I don't need to be worrying about you. Truthfully, you'll be a liability rather than an asset." Nick turned back to Bruce to protest, but was again cut off by Bruce. "You two saw last night just how wrong a scenario can go if you don't know your enemy." All three of them turned and stared at Barbara's leg. She shyly covered the spot of her pajamas where the stitches were with her hands. No one could argue that point with Bruce. "I'll have Robin for back-up and Nightwing said he'll help if I need. But I don't want to see Batgirl or the Black Bandit out tonight." The final sentence was spoken in very dark and serious tone.

"In other words," Alfred began. "You're grounded." Nick let out a huge sigh in anger and looked at the floor. He wanted to argue with Bruce, but couldn't.

"Your town, your call, Bruce," Nick said pointing a finger at Bruce. "For the record, I don't like this."

"I second that," Barbara added crossing her arms.

"Your objections are noted," Bruce said. He turned to the clock in the den. He set the hands to 12 and activated the secret entrance to the Batcave. Bruce stepped in and the passage closed just as the doorbell rang. Alfred opened it and was greeted by a delivery from Bergduff's. Alfred signed for the delivery and took the Bergduff's bags from the young man.

"Delivery for you, Master Reese," Alfred said looking into the bags. "Odd, these clothes look cleaned and pressed."

"I added a $500 dollar tip if they had everything cleaned," Nick said. "I didn't want to inconvenience you Alfred."

"Mmm," Barbara said playfully. "Rich, handsome, and considerate, I think I'm in love." Nick turned and just stared at Barbara with his head cocked to the side. Alfred, however, with the straightest look on his face, spoke.

"I believe the term, Ms. Gordon, is," Alfred began. "Rope it in." Nick let out a hearty laugh and took the bags from Alfred. Barbara gave in as well, letting laughter flow from her mouth.

"Alfred," Nick began as he made his way to the stairs. "Can you tell me where I can wash out my costume, it's still a little dirty."

"Allow me sir," Alfred said. Nick opened his mouth to say something but Alfred cut him off. "It is no trouble at all, Master Reese. I shall leave your daggers in the side table drawer." With that, Alfred went upstairs to retrieve the Black Bandit costume.

"Thank you, Alfred," Nick said putting the bags on the side of the couch. The young redhead couldn't help but let her curiosity take hold.

"What did you get?" Barbara asked nosing through the bags.

"Nothing really, a few button downs, slacks, jeans," he trailed off. "a black leather blazer." Nick finished playfully. That caught Barbara's attention and she sat up on the couch, crossing her legs and relaxing into the couch. She dipped her head a little and sprawled her arms on the backrest.

"Going somewhere?" she asked with a seductive smile.

"Bruce said he didn't want to see Batgirl or the Bandit out tonight," Nick began. "I don't recall him mentioning Barbara and Nick." Both he and Barbara got very wide smiles on there faces. "How about dinner, and some drinks, say around 7?"

"Include some dancing and you got a date," Barbara added standing up. She walked over to Nick with both arms tucked behind her back, puffing out her chest.

"What about your leg?" Nick asked with a slight stutter.

"Like I said last night, I've been wearing that Batgirl costume for weeks now," Barbara said seriously. "No way am I passing up a rare chance to go dancing."

"Okay, I give," Nick said putting his hands up. "I learned long ago never to try and argue with a woman. I have to make some more phone calls to the office before I get ready. Do you have any place you like to go out to?"

"Go out?" a voice called from behind. Barbara and Nick looked toward the door to see a young boy with black hair and a backpack standing in the doorway. "As in a date?" Tim Drake asked as he walked in. "Pshh, I'll take a night fighting scumbags over a date anytime. Especially with us going after Puke-Face"

"Sure, Tim," Barbara began. "You say that now."

"Puberty is going to hit him like a ton of brick," Nick said under his breath. Barbara laughed a little at Nick's joke and turned back to Tim.

"Tim, this is Nick Reese."

"Yea," Tim said with gusto. "You're the Black Bandit." Tim rushed over to the stranger and extended his hand. Nick took it without hesitation. "Thanks for saving Barbara. I can't imagine going without her, she's practically a big sister to me." Barbara sighed and covered her mouth with her hand, moved by what Tim said. She knew Tim thought high of her, but never thought he considered her a sister. After Nick released his hand, Tim walked over to Barbara and embraced her tightly. "I'm glad you're ok." Barbara looked down smiling at the boy and ran her finger through his hair.

"I'm ok, Tim," she said in a soft and caring tone. "You know how tough I can be." Tim broke his hug and looked up into his surrogate sister's eyes. She gave him a final smile before speaking, "Go do your homework. When you are done, Bruce is waiting in the cave." Tim rushed off to the library as he was told. Before he left the room completely, Tim turned to Nick. "Can I use your daggers sometime?"

"Not a chance kid," Nick began. Tim shrugged his shoulders and left the room. Barbara started towards the stairs and had almost reached them when Nick noticed. "Where are you going?" Barbara turned very slowly and deliberately.

"We have a date tonight, Nick," she started. "I have a lot to do get ready." Nick looked at her with a puzzled face. He turned to the clock on the opposite wall. It was 3:40.

"You need three hours to get ready?" Nick asked half serious, half joking.

"If beauty was any easier, it would be called crime fighting," she replied ascending the stairs. "See you at 7, and make the reservation at the Iceberg Lounge." Barbara continued up the stairs and blew a small kiss at Nick. He continued to follow Barbara with his eyes. When she was out of sight, he returned to the phone. Nick dialed the Iceberg Lounge and made a reservation for 7. After it was made, he made another phone call, this time to Reese Software.

"Good Afternoon, this is Reese Software's Corporate Headquarters," a young female voice said. "How may I assist you?"

"Vanessa," Nick began. "This is Nick Reese; is my sister available?

"Of course, Mr. Reese. She always is for you," she said placing him on hold. He waited for a minute while classical music came over the receiver. Nick had personally chosen this music for his system, classical music relaxed him. It wasn't long before the receiver clicked and another female voice came over the phone.

"You're finally awake, big brother," a soft voice said.

"What can I say, Victoria," he began. "The night shift is killer."

"Why do you say that? You know it scares me when you say that," Victoria said half angry.

"Sorry, Little One," Nick said gently.

"I read about Scapelli in the paper…" Victoria started before she was interrupted by her elder brother.

"Let's discuss that later, sis," Nick said angrily. "I want the project with LexCorp terminated."

"What happened?" Victoria asked.

"He wants to use Project Omicron in the private sector, have legal draw up the paperwork and pull the plug now. And make sure he knows the software is our property. He can keep his damn processor." Victoria could tell from the tone of Nick's voice how serious he was.

"The General won't be happy," Victoria said with an ounce of worry.

"If the General has a problem," he started. "I'll personally deal with it. He can deal with Lex if that's what the he chooses. But I want no part of Luthor. The man has no respect."

"I'm sorry I convinced you to take project, Nick," Victoria said.

"It's not your fault; we both knew he could be a snake," he said sternly. "But the contract was too good to just dismiss it," Nick said trying to ease her mind. "Fill me in, Little One." Victoria smiled on the other side of the line; she knew he was not mad at her for taking the contract. The Reese siblings discussed business for some time. They spoke on everything from stock reports, to research and development, to the new employees. This was their routine, considering Nick's activities as the Bandit often kept him from going into the office. Soon, the Reese's had taken care of all the important business that needed Nick's attention. "Is there anything else on the agenda, Victoria?"

"Just one important question," she said. "When are you coming home?" Nick sighed into the phone. Even though Victoria was a couple years younger. Sometimes she acted like a big sister to him. Always concerned, and rightfully so. Until the previous night, she was the only one in the world who knew Nick's secret. And there had been several nights where Nick almost didn't come home. They were the last two in their family tree, no cousin, parents, aunt or uncles. And both were terrified of becoming the last Reese, Victoria more so.

"I'll be home when cannon has been recovered," Nick said. "You do have the scrambler activated?"

"It's always on when we speak," Victoria responded. "Didn't you find it last night?"

"Scapelli was captured last night," he started. "But the cannon was gone. The buyer had already taken it. I also ran into Batman and Batgirl. Working with them, I know Two-Face has the cannon."

"Oh, my God," Victoria said angrily. "It's bad enough that worm stole it. But now you have to deal with a certifiable madman. Nick, please let them handle it. Come home." Nick could hear the fear in his sister's voice. She knew how dangerous Two-Face could be.

"I can't, Victoria," Nick said full of sorrow. "I have to retrieve the cannon." He could hear his sister begin to cry over the phone. Nick shared her sadness as well. It wasn't just that Two-Face now had the cannon. He missed his sister. Since Scapelli stole it, Nick had been focused solely on recovering it. So much, that he had barely seen his only living relative. "I'll be home before you know it."

"Ok, please be careful, Nick," she said with a tear in her eye.

"Always am," he responded. The two siblings then said good-bye. Nick found himself alone with his thoughts. He truly missed his sister. He was also very worried about her. Her emotions were erratic over the last couple years, even since… Nick shook the memories from his head. Sitting on the couch, he turned on the TV. There was still time to kill before he got ready for his date with Barbara. The doorbell rang out loudly, and Alfred answered it promptly. He opened the door to find a blonde girl in her early 20s standing in the doorway.

"Can't talk Alfred," she said. "Girl time." The perky blonde rushed into Wayne Manor and sprinted past Nick and up the stairs. Both Nick and Alfred looked at each other, flabbergasted.

While Nick was talking on the phone with Victoria, Barbara was very busy herself. After she blew Nick a small kiss, she disappeared upstairs and entered her bedroom. Once inside, she locked the door and went over to the armoire and opened it. Choices were limited, but she always kept a few outfits at Wayne Manor. It was impossible to tell when she'd have to change from Barbara to Batgirl or vice versa. She pulled three dresses out and threw all of them on the bed. One was a basic little black dress, it showed off a little cleavage, and emphasized her hips but came down to her knees. It wasn't flirty enough. The next choice was white strapless cocktail dress, perfect for going out with. Flirty, showed cleavage and her legs off, but also high enough to show the bandages. Finally, she held up her favorite red dress. The velvet trim and spaghetti straps were her favorite parts of this dress. The lower part was cut on an angle. It went knee low on the right side and came up to upper thigh on her left leg. The only downside to this dress, it was a little tight in the chest area. She'd have to go braless to wear it.

"After that kiss last night, going braless might not be a good idea," Barbara said aloud. This was a problem; all three had their pros and cons. It was time for some extra help. Barbara went to the side table and picked up her cell phone. Even though Kara would still be in class, Barbara shot her a text. "Fashion 911, need second opinion," she typed. Barbara put the phone down and reached under the bed for the few pairs of shoes she stored there. Kneeling down on her legs put a little strain on her stitches and a mild jolt shot up Barbara's leg. She pulled out a pair of black stilettos, white sandals, and red open toed heels. Standing up, she rubbed the taped gauze over her leg. Barbara looked the shoes over before going to the armoire and opening a little drawer. She eyed her jewelry, looking for just the right thing to wear. Silver ribbon charm, gold locket, amber pendant, there were several to choose from. Barbara turned back to her phone, wondering why Kara hadn't got back to her. Kara was a cell phone junkie; every text she got was instantly answered.

"Class must have just started," Barbara thought. "I'm on my own," she said aloud. Barbara grasped the t-shirt she was wearing and pulled it over her head. Her 36-C breasts jiggled as they were freed from their cotton prison. She then tugged at waistband and brought the pajama bottoms to the floor. Barbara stood, in all her naked glory, looking in the mirror to see herself, proudly. "Chest is magnificent." Her blue eyes looked down to the patch of red in her crotch. The little bushel was mildly trimmed but not shaped in any particular way. "Clean that up." She turned around to look over her shoulder. "Ass, perfect," she said giving it a little spank. She lifted her arms to check for any hair, she noted there was. "Ok, got to get the armpits." Barbara slightly bent over to feel her calf and got a little panicked at what she felt. Her legs had noticeable stubble all over. "Great, Nick felt up a cheese grater last night." Barbara felt her face flush with blood from embarrassment. In her lust induced euphoria, she forgot she hadn't shaved in a week. Her panic soon subsided when she remembered, Nick hadn't even noticed. Barbara then tugged at the tape holding the gauze over her stitches, removing the covering. "I won't need this in the shower." Just as Barbara turned to go to the bathroom, there was a knock at the door.

"Barbara, its Kara," a voice called from the other side.

"Kara?" Barbara said puzzled. "Just a minute," she called. Barbara grabbed a towel from the bathroom and quickly wrapped herself in it. Once "decent," she went to the door and unlocked it. "I'm in a towel," she warned.

"I know, I saw you undressing from outside," Kara said as she stepped into the room.

"How did you…" Barbara started.

"Faster than a speeding bullet, remember," the blonde interrupted before looking at the dresses.

"But you said you had class," the redhead quipped.

"I told the professor I had an 'emergency,'" Kara started. "Technically, I was telling the truth, Ms. 911." Barbara adjusted the towel and joined her friend. Kara gave one more look at the choices before her. "You're kidding me right, Barbara." Kara's tone was sarcastic, but had a subtle seriousness to it. "You really are rusty on the dating game, aren't you?" Barbara turned to her friend with her hands on her hips, annoyed.

"I'm not lucky enough to have that Olsen guy from the Planet and half the MU guys wrapped around my finger each weekend," she retorted. "I haven't had night out in weeks, which means I'm out of practice. Number two, I have stitches in my leg. Plus you know my boss, Mr. No Fun."

"Then go blonde," Kara said flicking her hair. "We do have more fun."

"Nick apparently likes my 'fire,'" Barbara answered triumphantly. Both shared a little laugh and turned back to the dresses. Kara looked all three over and quickly came to it. "All red, Barbara. No, question about it."

"You sure?" Barbara asked biting her lip.

"Black is too cliché, and the white one makes you look like a top shelf hooker, no offense," Kara whipped. Barbara quickly tossed the white dress back into her armoire. "Red has always been your best color, and it's your favorite dress."

"Ok, I trust you," Barbara said walking to the bathroom.

"Let me see," Kara said to her friend's back. Barbara turned to her companion and lifted the half an inch of towel that covered her stitches. Kara looked at the "X" pattern the black bands made and shook her head. Barbara put the towel back down and Kara spoke again. "I'm glad you're ok, Barbara."

"Me too, it was my closest call," Barbara said entering the bathroom. She was shocked to see Kara follow her into the bathroom. "What are you doing?"

"I know me leaving for class interrupted something juicy," Kara said taking a seat on the toilet and crossing her legs. "So you're going to finish what we were talking about." Barbara stepped into the large shower and turned on the water.

"A little privacy please," Barbara said to the blonde.

"Spring break in Mexico last year," Kara retorted. "You didn't mind us being in the shower together back then." Both girls flashed back to that week south of the border. There was lots of drinking and good times. It was also where Barbara and Kara got so drunk; they had sex in the shower. It only happened once and Barbara had blacked out during the night. But thanks to Kara's powers, she held her liquor perfectly and had filled Barbara in on what happened the next morning. Though Barbara suspected what happened when she woke up naked in bed with Kara.

"We were drunk, Kara," Barbara said blushing. "Regardless, I still like privacy when I'm showering." Kara just rolled her eyes and reached into the shower. Barbara squealed as Kara yanked the towel off her. "KARA!" Barbara yelled.

"Wash up, and continue where you left off," Kara said throwing the towel into the sink. Barbara tried to cover herself, but knew it was a dumb to try. Kara could see through 10 feet of re-enforced concrete, what could her hands do? Reluctantly, Barbara started washing up. "I saw Nick downstairs," Kara said after a few moments. Barbara squeezed shampoo into her hands and began working it through her hair. The hot water nipped at her leg, but didn't cause noticeable pain.

"What was he doing?" Barbara asked.

"He was watching some TV," Kara said. "Didn't even stop to say hello, I was worried about you." Barbara smiled as Kara spoke. Good friends were as rare as a winter rose. "I can see why you kissed him the second time. Those big brown eyes are hard to ignore."

"When I first saw them, I thought they were solid black," Barbara said rinsing her hair out. "Dark brown eyes like that are hard to find. Can you get my razor from the cabinet?" Kara complied and retrieved the razor and handed it to Barbara. "As far as the rest of last night goes," Barbara began as she lathered up her legs with shaving cream. "After I broke the second kiss, I started to leave the room. He asked me out right there."

"That's all…" Kara whipped crossing her arms disappointed.

"Well," Barbara began as she slid the razor over her legs. "Once I left the room, I was so turned on from the flirting and both kisses. I kind of…fingered myself in the hallway outside the door."

"In the hall?" Kara said with very wide eyes. She covered her mouth in shock.

"Yes, but I forced myself to stop," Barbara said taking another stroke with the razor.

"You stopped, why," the blonde began. "Sounds like you would have gotten pretty kinky." Barbara finished up her left leg and began shaving her right leg.

"I'm sick of masturbating, Kara," she started. "I'm going crazy and playing with myself doesn't help anymore." Barbara took a few more strokes with the razor. "And you know Dick and I never went farther than oral."

"You could have called me if you wanted some loving," Kara said cupping her 36-D breasts. She turned towards the shower and opened her legs wide. "As I remember, you tasted sweet." Kara pinched at her nipples and let a moan escape her mouth. Barbara stopped shaving and stuck her head out from behind the shower door.

"When did you become such a slut?" Barbara asked very annoyed.

"I'm just kidding Barbara," she said laughing hysterically. "You're so easy to tease, you prude." Scoffing, Barbara pulled her head back into the shower and swiped the last bit of shaving cream from her leg with the razor. "So are you going to give in and sleep with him?" Barbara started rinsing her legs off and let out a sigh. She didn't know. Kissing Nick was very hot and her body was starving to be touch, but her brain was telling her to stay in control. Quickly, she shaved her pubic hair into a landing strip, drawing a suspicious look from her companion. "You only shave if its bikini season, you going to show off the goods?" Barbara blushed and rinsed the razor off before raising her arm.

"Are you going to pry, or help me get ready for this date?" Barbara asked quickly shaving her armpits. Once finished, she took a final dive under the spray and shut the water off. After ringing out her hair, the redhead stepped out of the shower and reached for the sink. She grabbed the towel out of the basin and wrapped it around her body. Kara got up from the toilet and began helping her best friend. The two did their best to make Barbara look as breathtaking as she could be. Kara blew out and brushed her friend's hair while Barbara cleaned her nails and put clear coat on. Once Barbara's hair was dry, Kara left the bathroom and grabbed the red dress off the bed. She retrieved a red lace thong from the armoire drawer and brought both garments to Barbara. When the red head saw the thong she was just handed, she became very vocal about the choice. After a minute of silence, Barbara came out of the bathroom wearing the dress and looked in the mirror.

"You look great Barbara," Kara said.

"I do look pretty good," Barbara said spinning around, getting a look from every angle. Her legs were smooth, the dress showed all of her good features, and she was ready for this long overdue night out. She paused and cupped her breasts, trying to adjust them under the dress. "I just don't think it's a good idea to wear a dress that makes me go braless."

"That's the reason you love this dress to begin with, always flirty," Kara said handing Barbara her make-up bag.

"I know," she answered pulling out her mascara. Kara put the open toed heels and a red carry purse on the bed and walked to the door.

"You finish getting ready," Kara started. "I am going to talk with Nick a little."

"Don't scare him Kara," Barbara warned as she brushed her lashes with the little brush.

"You know me," Kara said with an evil smile.

"I DO know you!" Barbara said as Kara left the room.

It was just about 6 o'clock when Kara came down the stairs. She was greeted by Nick Reese leaning on the couch reading the evening edition of the paper. A black leather blazer covered the dark blue button down shirt, a white tie, a crisp pair of black slacks, and black dress shoes completed his outfit. Kara looked significantly dressed down in her jeans and t-shirt. But the way Nick looked in his new clothes; it affected the Girl of Steel like a piece of kryptonite. She looked him up and down, seething with jealousy.

"Sorry I rushed by you earlier, Reese," Kara said to Nick. He set the paper down on the couch and turned to Kara. "I was worried about Barbara. My name is Kara."

"Nice to meet you, Kara, call me Nick," he said. "Barbara mentioned you were the one that woke her up."

"Yea, so what were you doing while I was helping Barbara spruce up?" Kara asked.

"After you blew by me when you walked in, I went up to the room Barbara gave me and got ready," he began. "I had already showered and shaved when I woke up at noon. After that I came back down here to make some more business calls. Then, Bruce had a little chat with me."

"You don't need to be vague, Nick," Kara started. "I figured out you are the Bandit, and I know her's and Bruce's secret." Nick nodded with Kara and took a gold pocket watch from his coat. "I can see why he told you not to worry about the investigation. But I can't believe Bruce told you to be on your best behavior tonight. He's not Barbara's father."

"How did you…" Nick began.

"I have very good hearing," Kara said cutting him off. "So what do you think of Barbara?" Kara asked after a minute.

"She's an amazing woman, Kara." Nick started. "Lovely, smart, got a fire about her, and quite charming."

"The kind of girl you take home to Mom?" Kara interrupted.

"She is, I do like her if that is where you are going, Kara," Nick said crossing his arms. Kara just tried to look as friendly as possible.

"I just want you and Babs to have fun, but don't break her heart." Kara got very close to Nick and continued her statement. "If you do, you better keep some kryptonite with you at all times." Nick's head arched back a little when it hit him whom he was talking to. He remained silent for a moment before letting out a small chuckle.

"I have nothing but the best intentions for her, Kara," Nick said.

"Good, she deserves a nice guy," she finished as both turned to the stairs. Barbara stood at the top looking positively radiant. The red dress hugged her body as she descended the stairs. Her hips, tone stomach, and chests moved gracefully and the red cloth followed suit. Barbara's make-up was very subtle. She barely used enough to accent her face. Her long hair hung naturally and swayed with the slightest movement. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, Nick was speechless to what he saw. Barbara decided on a gold heart shaped locket to finish off the outfit. She walked very slowly and elegantly over to Nick and eyed him up and down.

"I got to go Babs," Kara started. "Ma and Pa want me home for the weekend. Have a good time and text me." Barbara said nothing as the two best friends hugged. Kara walked over the door and opened it. "Be on your best behavior, both of you," she said playfully before closing the door. When Kara was out of sight, Nick turned to the beauty standing behind him. He looked her up and down as well.

"You clean up pretty good, Nick," Barbara said.

"Meanwhile, I am still looking for the words to describe how you look," he replied. Barbara dipped her head little and tucked some loose hair behind her ear.

"Thank you, Nick," Barbara said. "Where is Bruce?"

"In the cave," Nick started offering his arm to Barbara. "I tried to get an idea of what he and Tim would be doing, but I got nothing."

"Did he say anything else?" Barbara asked taking Nick's arm.

"Have a good time," Nick said as the two walked to the front door of Wayne Manor. Nick opened the door and let Barbara out first. When she passed, Nick followed and closed the door, the two were met by a white limousine. The night on the town had begun.


	7. Chapter 6: A Night to Remember

Hey guys, Thanks again for all the reviews. I know it's been a while but here is Chapter 6. Congrats to the winner of my little contest. And you will see in chapter 7 who the Black Bandit and Company face in their quest.

Chapter 6:

A Night to Remember

The limousine pulled up to Iceberg Lounge amid a sea of other cars and Friday night party-goers. Barbara and Nick eyed all of the people on walking up to the club. There was a very long line surrounded by red velvet rope, and people were still walking up to it and waiting to get in. Thick built security guards, who made Knuckles look small, kept everyone in line.

"Oh no, even a reservation wouldn't matter with this crowd," Barbara said dejectedly. The shine she had in her face when they left Wayne Manor was replaced by a strong frown.

"Driver, pull up to the entrance," Nick said with confidence. The white limo pulled up to the entrance of the lounge and all the people turned to see who it was. A stout little man in a tuxedo walked up to the door as Nick opened the limo up.

"I'm sorry, sir," Oswald Cobblepot said. "We are full this evening, you will have find another establishment to nest." Nick exited the limo with his back turned to Cobblepot, smiling at Barbara. "Did you not hear me?" Copplepot said sternly before Nick turned to face him. "Oh, Mr. Reese," Cobblepot said with some embarrassment. "I didn't know that was you. Nick reached his hand into the limo and helped Barbara out of the vehicle, drawing a greater look of embarrassment from Cobblepot. "Egad, it's Gordon's brat," he said under his breath. "And Ms. Gordon, a pleasure to see you again."

"Thank you, Mr. Cobblepot," Barbara said.

"Your table is waiting for you both," Cobblepot began. "And Mr. Reese, thank you for promising that contribution to the Gotham City Aviary." Cobblepot removed the velvet rope and ushered the two into his club.

"The Aviary?" Barbara asked taking Nick by the arm.

"I had to grease his flippers a little to get the table," Nick said as the two walked into the club. They passed several annoyed patrons and a couple of intrusive photographers noticed the couple walking in. The paparazzi didn't waste anytime when they saw Nick and Barbara.

"Mr. Reese, over here."

"Look here, Ms. Gordon," another one said.

"How long have you to been going out," one said sticking a microphone in Nick's face. Nick pulled himself back from the microphone with a disgusted look on his face. The, so called, Press were then quickly whisked away by Cobblepot.

"Shoo, all of you," he began. "I will not have my guests harassed by you buzzards." Cobblepot quickly ushered the two into the lounge and slammed the door on the photographers. Flashbulbs continued to fire through the glass as the three turned into the club. "The nerve," Cobblepot began. "Normally I find vultures to be fascinating creatures."

"At least they have the courtesy to wait until you're dead," Barbara finished with a smile. Nick let out a hearty laugh as Cobblepot let a chuckle escape his beak. The diminutive host then led the two to the best table he had available. Cobblepot sat Barbara and Nick at a table close the indoor lagoon. A railing was all that separated them from a very cold swim. On the iceberg in the middle of the lagoon, a few sea lions rested on the ice, while the band was playing a slow jazz number. Nick walked up behind Barbara and pulled her chair out for her. Barbara smiled as she smoothed the lower part of her dress and took the seat.

"I am impressed by you gallantry, Mr. Reese," Cobblepot said placing two menus on the table.

"Mama raised a gentleman," Nick said winking at Barbara.

"Ease off on the vest, Nick," Barbara quickly quipped. "You're playing it a little too close." Nick rolled his eyes as he took his seat across from the redhead and looked at his menu.

"Will there be anything else you require?" Cobblepot asked politely.

"A bottle of Dom Perignon, please," Nick answered. Cobblepot nodded and walked off, leaving the two alone. They basked in the music for a moment before Nick broke the silence. "The Penguin's club?" he asked.

"I know he is shady, but can you blame me," Barbara said looking around at the frozen décor. Nick turned around to look around as well. The two story building had a very "polar" feeling to it. Countless shades of blue covered every square inch of the building, icy mountains were masterfully painted onto the wall. Nick half smiled at the designs, which Barbara noticed. "I take it you like the place," she said. Her date raised his chin, closed his eyes and put himself in a very uptight looking posture.

"My dear lady, I find the unusual to be most enjoyable," Nick said in a very fake sounding upper class accent. Barbara couldn't help but laugh at Nick's behavior.

"You do voices?" Barbara asked.

"Just a little something I've done since I was a kid," Nick answered as Raven, Cobblepot's top bird, walked up with an ice bucket holding a bottle and two champagne flutes. She poured two glasses and set them down own the table.

"Will there be anything else, Mr. Reese?" she asked.

"Barb?" he asked. The young lady returned to the menu, looking for something appetizing.

"I'll have the lobster bisque, please," Barbara said. Raven gave a nod and turned to Nick. He gave a final look of the menu before deciding.

"Oysters on the half-shell, please," Nick said to Raven. The lady removed the menus from the table and went to the kitchen. Barbara and Nick turned back to each other and took their glasses. Nick looked at his lovely date and placed his flute forward.

"To new beginnings," he said.

"New beginnings," Barbara said smiling. The two touched the edges of their flutes together, toasting their new relationship. The two glasses gave a gentle ping and the two took a couple sips. Barbara sighed as she placed her flute down.

"You ok?" Nick asked putting his down.

"Yea," she started. "It's just great having the night off. A chance to relax."

"One of life's small blessings," Nick said. Barbara nodded at that statement. She sat forward and crossed her arms on the table, taking her glass again.

"I do agree, kind sir," she said with a stereotypical southern accent. Nick laughed as Barbara took another sip. The band began a new slow jazz song.

"Shall we see if we have something else in common?" Nick asked extending his hand to Barbara. With a slight blush, she took Nick's hand and they made their way to the dance floor. When they mixed with the other dancing couples, Nick spun Barbara under their grasped hands and placed his hand tenderly on her hip. Barbara placed her hand on Nick's shoulder. The two got chest to chest and the two let the music flow through them. The two spun together completely ignoring everyone else in the room. Nick led them with the soft beat of the music. Together, they moved from side to side, moving almost as one. Throughout the whole song, both Barbara and Nick were on Cloud 9. The two kept solid eye contact the whole time, neither blinking. Barbara noticed Nick's after shave; it had a slightly musky smell but was also very crisp. Barbara's perfume was sweet and floral; Nick noted how perfectly it fit her. This state of euphoria began and lasted through a couple more songs. Nick removed his hand from Barbara's hip and widened the distance between them. Barbara extended out until their arms were straight, and spun back to Nick. The young man caught Barbara's free arm and pulled her back close to his chest. A smile crept on to both faces as Barbara was dipped when the song ended. Those on the dance floor gave mild applause to the band as another slow song started. Nick grabbed Barbara's waist again and brought her as close as possible.

"You're pretty light on your feet, Nick," Barbara said. Nick said nothing as Barbara rested her head on his chest. She closed her eyes and let the music take her again. She loved every moment of this, wishing this wouldn't end. They stayed on the dance floor until their food was on the table. Reluctantly, the two left the dance floor and returned to their table. Ever the gentleman, Nick pulled Barbara's chair out for her again before taking his.

"I'm sorry we ordered so quickly," Nick started. "I was enjoying that."

"I liked it too," Barbara said taking a spoonful of bisque. "I hope we can dance a little more before the night is over." Nick nodded as he picked up a clump of oyster with his fork. He reveled in the salty taste and took another sip from his champagne. "How's your bisque?"

"It's pretty good," Barbara answered. "But I am a little curious as to why you ordered an ancient aphrodisiac." Nick choked on a little champagne and set his flute down with a cough. "I'm kidding, Nick," Barbara said laughing.

"You're too much," he replied trying to clear the drink from his lungs. Barbara laughed as Nick let out a few more coughs. He finally stopped coughing and both let out more laughter. "How did you know oysters were an aphrodisiac in ancient cultures?" Nick asked.

"I took an Ancient Culture class this semester," Barbara said taking another sip of champagne. She placed her flute back on the table before continuing. "Didn't think you would need them though. I felt you poking me last night." Nick got very wide eyed and struggled to find his words, to no avail. "Don't worry though," Barbara continued. "That kiss was a real turn on for me as well." Nick breathed a heavy sigh of relief and rested his hands on the table. Barbara smiled as she extended her leg underneath the table. Her date gave a very small gasp, as Nick felt the warm leather of Barbara's shoe run up and down his calf and shin and began to breath heavy, fighting to stay in control of himself. He cocked up one of his eyebrow and moved his right hand under the table. Barbara smiled as she lifted her leg up to Nick's knee. Daring to take a chance, Nick moved his hand slowly until it found Barbara's high heel. He gave the material a light squeeze and moved his hand up her leg. Electricity shot through both of them as skin met skin. Nick inhaled sharply as his fingertips met Barbara's freshly shaved flesh. Her tone calf twitched in his soft touch. Nick smiled as drew a circle on Barbara's leg with the tip of his finger and almost no pressure.

Barbara closed her eyes and let a soft gasp escape her lips. Nick's fingers were soft and moved in torturously delicate manner over her leg. Her breathing was becoming deeper and deeper as hormones fought to control her. Though Barbara wanted to stay in control, her hormones were winning this battle. She felt a familiar slickness begin to form in her crotch. Barbara's body was begging for more, but soon found itself disappointed as Nick removed his hand. Barbara looked into Nick's eyes panting, very upset he had stopped. With a wicked smile, Nick spoke.

"That, is for your little bit of torture you gave me in the elevator last night," he said smugly. Barbara took a couple deep breaths to calm herself down. When she did, Barbara raised her flute again.

"Touché," she said. "I should have known better than to use torture methods on a history major." Nick chuckled as he raised his flute, bringing the two glasses together again. After the two took another sip, Nick slid his right hand across the table.

"Relax, Barbara," Nick said softly. "Let's enjoy ourselves." Barbara slid her left hand across the table and slid her fingers into Nick's open grip. Their fingers danced to the slow beat the band was playing for a few minutes before Nick spoke. "Tell me more about yourself, Barbara."

The two continued eating their meal and spoke on many subjects, politics, philosophy, their education, music and other subjects. Nick and Barbara were surprised to find they varied on very little. They both enjoyed concerts, martial arts training, to name a few. However, they differed on some areas such as capitol punishment, war, and abortion. Barbara was generally against all those subjects, while Nick was in favor of them only is no other alternative was available. The band continued to play music and time passed on the two. Soon the bottle of champagne was empty, as well as the flutes and plates.

"That was good," Nick said.

"The food, or the company?" Barbara asked.

"The company is far superior," he said smoothly. Checking his pocket watch, Nick noted it was almost 9:30. The night was still young.

"Have somewhere you need to be?" Barbara quipped. Nick closed his pocket watch and half smiled at his date.

"Considering the little dance show you gave last night," he began. "My gut tells me, you want to dance some more." Barbara nodded and Nick gestured to Raven to bring the check. Barbara excused herself and walked off to the ladies room. The décor in the restroom matched the rest of the club, several different shades of blue mixed with an icy white/blue hybrid. Barbara walked over to the mirror and looked herself over. She straightened out her hair and opened her purse. While looking for her lipstick, Barbara saw her cell phone received a text message. She opened her phone and saw the message was from Kara.

"Having fun?" she asked. Barbara laughed at her friend and typed her response.

"Having a great time, we just finished dinner," the redhead responded. She put her cell away and removed her lipstick. Barbara reapplied the pigment to her lips and put the stick away. She stood up straight and adjusted her dress around her chest. A familiar buzz came from her purse. Barbara removed her cell again to see another message from Kara.

"Glad to here you are having fun. But I left something in the inside pouch of your purse. JIC," Kara responded. Barbara put the phone down next to her purse and snapped it open. She unzipped the pouch and reached into the fold. Barbara's eyes got a wide look as she pulled a condom out of her purse. Barbara blushed a beet red and put the condom back into her purse. She quickly picked up her phone again and was about to send a very angry text to her "best friend," but thought about it for a minute. Kara was only trying to make sure she was safe, she couldn't be mad for Kara trying to protect her. With a sigh, Barbara began typing.

"Thanks for watching my back," she began. "I might not need it, but at least I'm prepared now. JIC. TTYL." After returning her phone to her purse, Barbara left the restroom and walked back to the table. She returned to see Cobblepot and Nick talking to each other. Nick was standing and smiling at the diminutive man, both were in high spirits. Barbara said nothing as she walked up behind them.

"Thank you for your patronage, Mr. Reese," Cobblepot said. "And I know several albino flamingoes who will appreciate this donation you are making."

"My sister and I have always been active in conservation of all endangered species," Nick began. "I will have her make the arrangements when I speak with her in the morning."

"I would be happy to take the donation now," Cobblepot started. "I was going to visit the Aviary tomorrow." Cobblepot look straight into Nick's eyes, but Nick was no fool. He could tell Cobblepot was trying to swindle him. Respectfully, Nick declined the offer and turned to his date. He offered his arm to Barbara and she took it. The two exchanged goodbyes with Cobblepot and made for the exit. As they made their way to the vestibule, Nick removed two cigarettes from his black case and offered one to Barbara. Their limo was waiting for them in the same spot it dropped them off. Only now, there were several more photographers waiting at the entrance, camera's locked and loaded. The doorman opened the vestibule door as Nick lit Barbara's cigarette then his own.

"Here we go again," Nick said sarcastically. Both took a long drag as the front door was opened and they were swarmed by the intrusive paparazzi. The flashbulbs light up the door like a firing squad.

"Mr. Reese, is your relationship with Ms. Gordon serious?" one asked.

"How did you meet," another asked. The young couple found themselves completely surrounded. Looking at Barbara, Nick began forcing his way through the sea of annoyance, pushing people out of his path. Barbara stayed on his heels, trying to keep her cigarette from burning any of the photographers. Sure they were annoying, but they were only doing their job. Nick opened the door and Barbara jumped in. He quickly closed the door and the two settled into the leather seats. Quickly, the limousine sped off amid a sea of more flashing lights from the cameras. The two said nothing as the smoke wafted from their cigarettes. All of a sudden, Barbara started laughing. Nick looked at her and soon followed. Their laughs continued for a minute. Barbara took a drag from hers and left a bright red ring around the tip. She relaxed into the smooth upholstery and let the smoke loose from her body.

"Driver, we need to go somewhere with plenty of music," Nick said leaning forward.

"Yes, sir," he responded. "Where would you like go?" Nick turned to Barbara and gave her an inquisitive look.

"Dancer's Eden," she said dabbing her cigarette out the window. Nick turned to her quickly with a very concerned look on his face. He opened his mouth to say something, but Barbara quickly put a finger to his lips.

"I know what you are going to say," she said quietly. Barbara took her finger from Nick's mouth and put it on his knee. Leaning forward, she continued. "I needed to face that demon eventually." Nick sat there, saying nothing. He was puzzled and amazed that Barbara would want to return to the very spot where she almost died, barely 20 hours earlier. Nick took a slow drag from his cigarette and turned to the driver.

"You heard the lady, Dancer's Eden," he said releasing his own smoke. Barbara smiled as the limo turned and heading downtown to 8th Street. Nick made himself comfortable and placed his hand on Barbara's knee. She put her hand on his in return and the two settled in for the short ride to the club. Nick pressed a button overhead and closed the partition between them and the driver.

"So you have a sister," Barbara asked with the cigarette in her mouth.

"My little sister, Victoria," Nick began. "She is the VP of Operations at Reese, and runs everything when I am out of town. The only person she answers to is me."

"She must be in charge often with your other business priorities," Barbara said. Nick nodded and took a final drag from his cigarette. "So how old is she?"

"Victoria just turned 22 last month," Nick began. "She may be five years younger than me, but she acts like the elder sibling most of the time."

"Tell me about her," Barbara said throwing her cigarette out of the window.

"Strong, determined, very open-minded," Nick started. "She's been a little cautious over the last few years though. Mostly because of what I do each night."

"Victoria sounds like a very nice girl," Barbara said.

"She is, I can't imagine my life without her," Nick started. He got very quiet and lost his train of thought. Nick's mind began flashing back. The visions were brief and broken up. He saw images of blood and two bodies lying on the floor, bound and gagged. Victoria was crying hysterically, naked and crawling toward him on the floor. Nick was bleeding from his torso, a dagger clutched in his hand as he kneeled on the floor. Before him, a man they didn't know was dead from a stab wound to the heart. Victoria made her way to her brother and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Nick?" Barbara asked. Her voice snapped Nick back to reality, he saw Barbara had placed her hand on Nick's shoulder. "You got real quiet and were staring at the floor. What's wrong?" The limo pulled up to the Dancer's Eden and Barbara turned to see the alleyway from her window. The police tape was gone and the single light in the alley was illuminating the same spot it had the previous night.

"Just as you face your demons," he started. "Mine have resurfaced as well." The limo came to a stop and Nick exited to the heavy bass sounds of Dancer's Eden. Before he could reach the other side, Barbara had opened the door and exited the limo. She walked over to the alley and saw a large stain of copper in the middle of the pavement. Barbara didn't move or talk. She stared at the spot, knowing it was her blood turning brown. She didn't notice Nick come up behind her.

"Never again," she said after what seemed like an eternity. "I'm never losing my focus again." Nick took hold of Barbara's hand and comforted her.

"We could dwell on our demons," he began. "Or we could celebrate the fates have blessed us with more time to live." Barbara squeezed Nick's hand and the two made their way to the entrance. After the bouncer carded them, they entered the club and were greeted by flashing strobe and multi-color lights. The interior was very large, the majority taken up by the dance floor. A long bar sat on the far side and a stage holding the DJ booth was situated in the near corner. Next to the DJ, the VIP section was situated on a gated platform. The DJ had begun playing Cascada's "Every Time we Touch" as the two walked up to the bar. Weeding their way through the Friday night crowd, Nick and Barbara found an opening and called the bartender over.

"Grey Goose Appletini, please," Barbara told the woman.

"Stoli White Russian," Nick ordered. The barista nodded and began mixing the drinks in front of them. As she did, Nick began nodding with the beat of the music and Barbara soon followed. Soon she began rocking her hips and shoulders in sync with the music. The bartender put the two drinks in front of the couple and Nick left his credit card with the bartender. Barbara turned to Nick to drag him onto the dance floor, but she saw him talking with the bartender. Puzzled she took a sip from her drink, and continued dancing on her own. The bartender nodded when Nick finished talking to her and left them alone.

"What was that about?" Barbara shouted over the music.

"Just wait and you'll see," Nick shouted back. He raised his drink to Barbara and they toasted to the fun they were about to have. They both took a large sip of their drinks into their mouths and the music started to flow through them. Barbara put her free hand around Nick's neck and began to move her hips from side to side. The stitches in her leg tugged at her skin, but Barbara was in a state of pure euphoria, she didn't notice it. Nick joined her in the seductive movements and placed his hand on Barbara's hip. Together, the two moved as one just as they did earlier. Both were enjoying themselves when a large man wearing a "Security" shirt came up to them. He gestured for Nick and Barbara to follow him.

"Is something wrong?" Barbara shouted to Nick. He said nothing and raised his hand palm up, instructing her to follow. Barbara was very nervous she didn't think they'd be asked to leave. They were led to the corner of the club and Barbara's grin was from ear to ear as the bouncer opened a red velvet rope, leading to the VIP area. She turned to Nick with the speed of the Flash.

"You like?" Nick shouted innocently. Barbara grabbed Nick by his necktie and pulled him down her eye level. She placed a peck of a kiss on his lips and walked into the exclusive area, letting Nick's tie run through her hand. As she walked, Barbara walked with more strut in her steps. Her hips moved slowly from side to side, silently telling Nick to hurry up. He quickly followed and the bouncer closed off the area. The VIP had a very upscale feel to it. There were a few tables with leather booths in the small area. The private bar was stocked with top shelf drinks, and a single bartender mixed a martini behind it. The floor was hardwood, perfect for dancing. There was only one other couple in the section, but it was still early. The woman looked at Barbara, as if she was competition. The redhead ignored her and placed her purse and drink on an open table. She quickly snapped it open and removed her cell phone as Nick sat down with her.

"Dancer's Eden, VIP section. Jealous?" she texted to Kara. Nick just looked at her as she placed her cell phone on the table. "What?" she asked as those brown eyes locked on her blue. "Kara told me to text her, remember."

"In the middle of the date?" Nick asked taking a sip from his White Russian.

"Sorry, Nick," she started. "But I love making her insanely jealous." The song ended as Barbara felt the vibration of her phone through the table. The DJ started Sean Paul's "Get Busy" as Barbara opened her phone. She laughed and showed Nick the message.

"Can I borrow him around Spring Break?" Nick let out a laugh at the Girl of Steel's comment. Once he stopped, his head was bobbing to the music. Nick got up from the table and looked at his date. Barbara put her phone back in her purse and joined him. Nick placed his hands gently around Barbara's waist and wrapped hers around Nick's neck. The two began to move in sync with the music, seductively and slowly. Music began and ended, drinks were brought and drank, and people came and left the club. Nick and Barbara didn't notice any of it. The two continued to dance long into the night. Nick's forehead was invaded by beads of sweat ever now and then, until he removed his jacket and tie. They danced every way one could imagine, close together with their fronts touching, Barbara grinded on Nick's thigh. The sexy dance moves had affected both the young people and Barbara noticed a familiar bulge in Nick's pants. The two would take a break every few songs and sit at their table. They'd sip their drinks and rest close to each other. Several times, Barbara found Nick placing his arm around her and stroke her shoulder. Each time she relax into it. But it was always Barbara who pulled Nick from the seat to begin dancing again. Nick separated from her when ZZ Top "Sharp Dressed Man" began. She laughed as he danced alone and mimicked the verses of the song. They continued on through a few more songs before returning to their table to rest. Barbara picked up her third martini and took a sip from it. She placed the half empty glass on the table, and took out her cell phone to check the time. It was 1:42 in the morning. Normally, she would be fine at this hour. But she felt the alcohol begin to relax her. That combined with the blood loss from being shot, told her to call it a night. She looked Nick dead in his eyes and made a cut gesture across her throat. Though she hated ending the night early, both her father and Bruce had instilled responsibility within her when it came to drinking. Nick nodded and took a final sip of his drink before he got up. The two made their way to the bar and paid the tab for the night. Hand in hand, the two left the club with a smile on each face. Outside the club, Nick scanned for their limo. He saw it parked a little down the street, and the two made their way to it. As they walked, the bass from the club was getting lower and lower.

"Did you have fun in there," Nick asked.

"Had a blast," Barbara began. "You were a blast."

"I'm surprised you didn't want to stay longer," Nick said cutting her off.

"Simple math, Nick," Barbara started. "Blood loss + alcohol = I feel it quicker. I never was a fan of get severely intoxicated, anyway."

"Are you?" Nick quipped with a cocked eyebrow. Barbara smiled as she shook her head softly. The two came up the limo and entered the vehicle. Once the driver was in his seat, the car left the Dancer's Eden behind them. "Back to Wayne Manor, please," Barbara asked before she closed the partition. Nick looked into her blue eyes and put his arm around Barbara's shoulder.

"I'd call it a good night," he said pulling Barbara in close. Her mind and body were at war with each other again. Her body craved Nick's, but her mind still fought for control. She had flirted with this man, kissed him, and felt him on her body.

"It was," she began. "Thank you for everything, Nick." Nick said nothing as he lowered his head to Barbara. The two felt lightning in each other once again as their lips touched. Barbara opened her mouth first and suckled on Nick's lower lip. He answered by letting his tongue escape his mouth and finding its way to Barbara's. "My God, he is good at this." Slickness began to form in her crotch and before Barbara knew it, she had place Nick's hand on her thigh. His hand moved up and down the cloth of her dress, before sliding under it, gently stroking her leg. "The hell with it, I have a condom," Barbara thought as she lifted herself off the seat and straddled Nick's body. His bulge stabbed at her woman hood through the couple layers of cloth. Even with this separation, Barbara could feel him fully erect and ready for her. She began to grind slowly on Nick's lap. The lace of her thong rubbed against Barbara's clit, and was quickly soaked with her juices. She broke the kiss and sighed heavily as she ground on Nick faster. Barbara's head leaned to the side as Nick pulled her in and kissed at her neck. Barbara moaned as Nick's lips tickled at her throat. She threw her head back when Nick trailed his kissing down to her chest. Nick pulled her straps off her shoulders and cupped her breast in his hand. She moaned as Nick kneaded her mound gently and pulled the top of her dress down. The cloth gathered under Barbara's chest as Nick took in her perfection. "Do you like what you see?" she asked seductively. Nick said nothing as he licked an erect nipple and began sucking it gently. Barbara moaned and put her hands on the back of his head, pushing Nick further into her exposed cleavage. She was in paradise. It had been everything she was missing, and she wanted more. She closed her eyes, ready for Nick to take all of her.

A high pitched beep from Barbara's purse interrupted the two. The new lovers were startled and wide eyed from the sound. Dismounting Nick, Barbara quickly snapped open her purse and unsnapped a secret compartment. Nick sat frozen looking on her as she pulled out an earpiece from her purse and activated it. She placed it into her ear, wondering what was happening. Bruce was clear that he didn't want Nick or Barbara in costume, but he never called like this unless it was an emergency.

"Go, ahead," she said panting.

"We got a problem," Robin said somberly over the com link. "Batman wants you both dressed and at the old Deuce Auto Plant on Market as soon as possible."

"What's happened?" Barbara said with a panicked voice.

"Things just got worse," Robin replied. The com link went dead and Barbara turned to Nick with a very serious face.

"Date's over, Nick," she said pulling her dress back over her naked top.

"The never ending battle," Nick said opening the partition. "Driver, we have an emergency. Get us back to Wayne Manor as fast as you can."

"If a cop pulls you over, I'll handle it," Barbara finished. Nick snapped his head quickly to his date.

"That bad?" he asked looking at the redhead.

"Not sure," Barbara answered. "But I know it's very bad."


	8. Chapter 7: Bad to Worse

Hey guys, sorry it's been a while. I was in the hospital with heart problems. Ha, guy as young as me with heart problems, go fig. On a good note, two more chapters are done. Editing the chapter 8 and it will be up soon. Take care, all of you.

Chapter 7:

Bad to Worse

A thunderous roar filled the air around the crime scene. The few by standers and several officers covered their ears to shield themselves from the sound of the Bandit's motorcycle. He pulled up carefully to avoid the civilians and stopped the bike at the head of the Batmobile. Batgirl hopped off first as the Bandit cut the engine. Immediately, they were greeted by Robin.

"What happened?" the Batgirl asked getting off the Bandit's bike. Robin said nothing as he ushered them over to Batman. The Dark Knight was standing with Gordon, and Bullock by a large hole in the wall of the auto plant. His face showed absolutely no emotion. The scowl was the kind a seasoned Goth would kill for. It evoked fear and apprehension from both the Black Bandit and Batgirl.

"Well look who finally showed up," Bullock said sarcastically.

"Knock it off, Bullock," Gordon said sternly. He turned to the two crime fighters and smiled at Batgirl. "I am glad to see you are ok, Batgirl. Scapelli was bragging that he killed you last night."

"Men brag a lot, it doesn't mean anything," she quipped. The Bandit said nothing as he was drawn to a large hole in the side of the building. Batman followed after him. The brick wall had a four foot hole in it. Fine red powder mixed with grey dust was all over the inside and the outside of the hole. The others joined him as he stood up eyeing the borders of the hole. Batman noted the look in his eye; the Bandit had seen this before.

"Has the scene been processed?" the Bandit asked dryly.

"Just the interior," Gordon started. "No one has touched this hole yet." The Bandit said nothing and reached into one of the pouches of his belt. He pulled out a small black box and opened a small green piece of glass and held it to his eye. He activated the device and a green glow covered half his face. Focusing closely on the border of the hole, he let the scanner do its job. Numbers and symbols flashed on the glass and froze on a few choice symbols. He then turned his attention to the powder on the ground. The Bandit scooped up a little of the powder in his hand and held it close to the scanner. More number and symbols flashed, before freezing on the same symbols from the border. He dropped the dust back into the pile and stood up. The Bandit put his scanner away and turned to five other sets of eyes.

"Positron laser cannon," he started. "No doubt about it."

"We're supposed to take your word for it, Blacky?" Bullock said coarsely.

"The dust particles have no charge to them. Everything in nature carriers either a positive or negative charge," the Bandit said.

"Yea," Robin agreed. "It's those charges that make ionic bonds between molecules possible."

"Right," the Bandit responded. "And we are tracing a weapon that has a side effect of breaking down ionic bonds, thus destroying molecular cohesion."

"So we are on the right track," Batman said.

"But this isn't why you called us here, is it?" Batgirl asked. "You could have figured this out yourself, Batman." The Dark Knight turned and motioned for the others to follow him. They were led over to the Coroner's van. There were two gurneys with black body bags laying motionless on them.

"The first one is Dimitri Vanderwa," Robin said staring at the smaller of the two bags. "His record came back with minor blips on the radar. Small fish trying to go big." Robin finished as the Caped Crusader cleared his throat. Batman stood over the larger of the two and unzipped the bag. He pulled back the material and Batgirl and the Bandit were shocked at what they saw. The eyes of Harvey Dent, "Two-Face," were staring off blankly into the night sky. His two tone suit was disheveled and dirty; he had been in a struggle. The most disturbing feature was that his mouth was curled into an unholy smile. Batgirl looked at Batman's former torture for as long as she could before turning away. The site of that smile was simply too much for her to take.

"Not even 'Puke-Face' deserved this," Robin said breaking the silence. The Bandit opened the bag farther and looked at Dent's hand. His palm was wrapped up with a gauze bandage.

"Source of our blood on the door," he said. "TOD?"

"Rigor hasn't set in yet," Bullock started. "Liver temp was 97.4."

"That puts him at about 1:30AM, just over an hour ago," Batgirl said. The Bandit nodded with her, but he looked into Two-Face's eye and felt guilt form a lump in his throat.

"That's not all," Batman started. "Jim?" Commissioner Gordon reached into his pocketed and pulled out an evidence bag and opened it. He pulled out a tape recorder and fumbled with it in his hand.

"This was found on Harvey's body." Gordon said pressing the play button. The tape whirred for a few seconds before a chilling voice was heard.

"Hello, Batsy. How are things going? I hope well, HEHE," the Joker's voice began. "Well things are going very good for me; I found the nicest new toy to play with. And I didn't even have to wait for Santa, HAHA. Unfortunately, our friend Harvey isn't known for sharing. And he…huh what was that Dent?" A muffled voice was heard over the tape recorder. "Moe, take off the gag, I can't make heads or tails of what he's saying, HAHAHAHAHA! Get it Harv?"

"RRR, when I get out of this chair, I'm gonna tear you apart clown," Two-Face said with venom in his voice.

"What?" the Joker responded sarcastically. "I don't even get a toss of the coin? Oh, Harvey I'm hurt."

"Not as much as when I get out of these ropes," Two-Face said. "I'm gonna enjoy wiped that stupid grin off your face."  
"Oh, Harvey, you need to relax," the Joker started. "Stop and smell the roses." A hissing sound was heard over the tape and coughing erupted from Two-Face. It was followed by a soft chuckle, growing into a violent laughing fit, continuing on until nothing. A dead silence was heard over the tape recorder until the Joker spoke again.

"How bout that?" he started. "Flowers work on men just as good as women, HAHA. Enough games, Batman. Do you think anything interesting happens without me knowing about it or having something to do with it? I learned about the cannon months ago when it was still being tested. Even from the confines of Arkham, it was I who arranged for Scapelli to steal it. I arranged for Two-Face to learn of it and buy it. All so that I could steal it from him, quite a bargain for me, huh? A military grade weapon for free, HAHA. But I am not done yet, no. Within the next hour or two, another tape recorder will be delivered to Gordon's office. I really want you to listen to it. I needed to have some extra insurance to deal specifically with your new friend. That means you, Black Bandit." The tape cut off and Gordon placed it back in the evidence bag and passed it to an officer.

"Get this to the lab, I want it gone over with a fine tooth comb," he said.

"Dispatch, it's Bullock," Bullock said into his radio. "Any packages to the Commissioner's office, I want checked out. Everything from chem and bio to explosives, Bullock out." The Bandit stood motionless looking at Harvey's body. Batgirl looked upon her new lover over and put her hand on his shoulder to comfort him. The second she touched him, the Bandit reared his fist back and punched to rear door of the Coroner's van with all his might.

"It was right here and I missed it," he grunted. "The cannon was right here. Son of a bitch." His voice was quiet and full of remorse. The Bandit pulled his hand slowly away from the door and flexed his fingers, a slight cracking sound emanated from the knuckles. Batgirl was taken back by the results of the strike. The middle of the panel was completely collapsed and fist imprint was in the center of the dent. The Bandit pulled her aside and tried to speak quietly to Batgirl. He looked her dead in her blue eyes and shook his head. She looked back at him with a look of concern. "Uh…I…" he stuttered.

"There was nothing you could have done," the two turned to see Batman standing before them. "Even if you two were out with us, nothing could have gotten us here in time to save Two-Face. By the time we got here, it was already too late."

"Batman, I'm so sorry about this," the Bandit started. "If I had caught Scapelli sooner, Dent would still be alive. Some detective I turned out to be." The Bandit couldn't even look Batman in the eye. He was choking on his guilt over Two-Face's death. The Bandit finally raised his face to meet Batman, but he had returned to Bullock and Gordon.

"Hey," Batgirl started. The Bandit turned to her with a somber look in his eyes. She brought her yellow hand and caressed the cheek of the Bandit's mask. "It's going to be ok." The Bandit sighed heavily, knowing Barbara was only trying to comfort him. She opened her mouth to say something when Bullock interrupted them.

"Hey, lovebirds," he said. "Dispatch just reported a small package was delivered to the Commissioner's office. Batgirl and the Bandit were broken out of their moment and rushed to the Bandit's motorcycle. Batman and Robin had already closed the canopy of the Batmobile and had started the engine. The Bandit quickly mounted his bike and turned the engine over, Batgirl soon mounted the motorcycle and both vehicles sped off. Commissioner Gordon and Detective Bullock peeled out in their patrol car. On the Bandit's motorcycle, Batgirl held a tight grip on the Bandit. Her hands were wrapped tightly around his waist.

"Can't let myself get distracted right now," Batgirl thought feeling the Bandits abs. But she felt how rigid his body was. "It will be ok, Nick. I promise," she thought to herself.

The vehicles continued to the precinct and all parked out front. Batman and company were met by Renee Montoya at the door. The Puerto Rican detective had a panicked look on her face.

"What's wrong, Montoya," Bullock asked.

"Just got a call from Arkham," she started. "Victor Zsasz escaped."

"When?" Gordon asked.

"Sometime between one and two in the morning," she replied.

"This night just keeps getting worse," Robin said.

"The package, Detective Montoya," Batgirl said.

"Bomb squad has it on the roof," Montoya began. "Bio and chem tools didn't detect anything, but I got a Haz-Mat crew with the Bomb Squad."

"I doubt the Joker booby trapped the package," Batman said looking to the roof. "He wants us to hear whatever is on that tape recorder."

"If Zsasz is part of his plan, this is going to be hell," Robin added. A voice came over Montoya's radio and she quickly answered it.

"Package was cleared," she said. "Only a tape recorder was in it."

"Have it brought to my office," Gordon said. Montoya nodded and everyone entered the precinct. Like last night, the precinct was still busy. The group of seven got several looks from the various officers and civilians in the building as they made their way to the Gordon's office. Montoya broke off from the group and left for the stairwell, Bullock returned to his desk and called Arkham Asylum. The look on his face told the Gotham heroes that someone was going to get chewed out, Harvey Bullock style. The others filed into Gordon's office. The seasoned officer hung his coat from the stand and sat in his chair. Robin and Batgirl both took seats opposite of Gordon's desk. The Black Bandit moved over to the coffee machine on the left wall. Batman walked over to window and stared out into the evening skyline of Gotham City. Even with the door closed, they all could hear Bullock yelling at the Arkham staff over the phone. Gordon ignored him as he reached for his pipe. Lighting it, he relaxed into his chair, trying to calm himself down. A metallic cling brought him out of his isolation and Gordon looked up to see the Bandit lighting a cigarette. He took a very deep drag and let the smoke loose from his mouth very slowly. Silence ruled over the five in the office. Each one thinking of every possible scenario that could come of this. The Bandit moved to pull another cigarette out for Batgirl when Montoya came into the office. She carried another clear evidence bag containing the tape recorder the Joker had sent. She placed it on the desk and looked on Gordon and his company. "Thank you, Renee," Gordon said taking a puff from his pipe. "Dismissed." Montoya followed her orders and left promptly. Batman said nothing as he moved from the window and took hold of the bag. Removing the recorder, he pressed play and the heroes didn't have to wait long.

"HIIII, Mr. J," Harley Quinn shrieked at the top of her lungs.

"Hello, Pooh," the Joker said. "How was your shopping trip?"

"Great," she replied. "My hair's done, my nails are all pretty, and I found something special for me to wear for you later, Puddin'."

"Mmm, I like the sound of that Harley," he responded. A lustful chuckle came across the tape recorder, drawing a gag from Batgirl. "As good as that sounds, Harley," the Joker started. "I have work to do. Which reminds me, did you get that insurance policy I asked for?"

"Sure did, bring him in boys," the psychotic blonde replied. Grunting was heard over the tape, followed by an enraged scream. The Bandit released a puff of smoke from his lungs. He sensed the emotions flowing through the scream, hate, contempt, and a bloodlust that can never be quenched.

"Harley, where are your manners?" the Joker asked. "Lar, take our guests muzzle for him, leave the straight jacket. I don't want him to catch cold. Ha." The sound of a buckle being undone and a thud on the floor was captured by the microphone.

"Explain yourself, Clown," Zsasz said in a low voice. "Explain why your…HARLOT…has absconded with me?"

"Simple really Zsaszy," the Clown Prince of Crime began. "I have a scheme in the works and I could use your, dubious assistance."

"I care not for your plans, Clown. I have work that must be done," the serial killer replied coldly. "Release this jacket that binds me that I may continue. NOW!"

"I said my plan 'could' use your help." the clown said. "It can go on with or without you. But I can't let you go until you have heard me out."

"I am losing my patience," Zsasz replied. "Release me, before I release you, Joker. Day in and day out you do the same pitiful routine. Trying to conquer the Batman, well I will do you a favor and…"

"The Black Bandit is in Gotham City, Victor," Joker interrupted. All the eyes in the room snapped around and faced the Bandit. The Bandit crushed the remains of his cigarette in his gloved hand, extinguishing the flame. Batgirl rose from the chair, worried on his next move.

"The Black Bandit?" Zsasz said curiously. "He is here?"

"Yes, Victor," the evil man responded. "He is here. And I am sure you know of his trademark weapons."

"Twin daggers," Zsasz quickly snapped. "He carries them at all times but never uses them. Those gorgeous, masterpieces are allowed to rust in their sheaths. They are meant for ending life, not preserving it." A grunt came from the Bandit's throat as he walked closer to Gordon's desk.

"It would seem you know quite a bit about the Black Bandit?" asked the Joker cynically.

"Those who live by the blade know of the Black Bandit," Zsasz said calmly. "In his career, he has seldom drawn his blades. When he does, they are often returned to their sheaths bathed in blood." Batgirl, Gordon, and Robin turned with a look of shock to the Bandit. Batman and the Black Bandit stayed focused on the recorder. "Many men now carry scars from him, but all have survived. The Black Bandit, to my knowledge, has never taken a life."

"Thank the Lord," Batgirl thought to herself.

"Never taken a life, HA!" Quinn said loudly.

"He is in pain, child," Zsasz retorted. "Something happened to him and he vowed never to kill. The Bandit is suffering and I must free him from that pitiful, painful existence."

"Are you in?" the Joker asked flatly.

"For a chance to liberate the Black Bandit," Zsasz started. "I would pass through the very fires of Hell."

"WHEEE!" Harley Quinn squealed. "A new playmate."

"Indeed he is, Pooh," the Joker said menacingly. "This is the final piece of the puzzle to force a final confrontation, Batman. Meet us at the Gotham Towers, top floor, at midnight, just us and you, all of you. If I see any cops or a report on the news, I will turn the cannon and Zsasz loose on Gotham." The recording ended and Batman turned off the tape player. Silence once again dominated the office before Batman spoke.

"We have to play his game, Jim," the Dark Knight said.

"You can't go in there alone, Batman," Gordon said standing in protest.

"We have to," the Caped Crusader said. His eyes turned to his fellow heroes. "The Joker wants a final confrontation and we will give it to him. We'll spend all day tomorrow preparing for it."

"There is still an 'X Factor'," Robin began. "Zsasz. Maybe we should call in Nightwing for back up."

"Let me worry about Zsasz," the Bandit responded. "He's part of the game because of me." Batgirl shot up from her seat and looked him in the eye.

"You can't take Zsasz on alone," she started. "Like Batman said the other day, you have to know your adversary."

"He and I are two sides of the same coin," the Bandit began. "Zsasz is a deranged psychopath who uses brutality and rage. I am fully trained and rely on my skill to serve me well." The Bandit reached into his coat and removed one of his daggers and twirled in around his finger. When he caught it, the tip of the blade was resting in his index finger and thumb. "I can handle him."

"I would prefer if you brought him in alive," Commissioner Gordon began. "But if necessary…"

"It won't come to that," the Bandit interrupted. He calmly returned his dagger to its sheath and let out a deep breath. "It is against my vow." Batgirl sighed inwardly, though she knew the Bandit would keep his vow at all costs, some things just can't be predicted.

"I applaud your convictions, Bandit," Gordon said. "But Victor Zsasz is one of the few men in Gotham who carries a 'Dead or Alive' notice on his capture. No one will blame you if you have to." The Bandit looked to Batman for any wisdom he could offer. The Dark Knight simply opened the window and left the office. Robin followed him and the Bandit and Batgirl soon made their way to the window.

"Batgirl," Gordon said. The young heroine turned to her unknowing father with an inquisitive look. "I'm glad you are ok."

"Good night, Commissioner," she replied as she and the Bandit left through the window. Gordon returned to his seat and placed his pipe in the ashtray. He opened his drawer and pulled a folder out. He eyed the hard tan paper for a moment before opening it. It was a lab report from the crime scene outside the Dancer's Eden from the night before. Tests were run on the pool of blood in the alley. The samples didn't match Lopez, and Scapelli and Knuckles weren't bleeding. When tested, the blood came back to an internal control sample, Commissioner Gordon. The blood found in the alley had 13 alleles in common with him. His daughter, Barbara was in the alley that night. Sighing to himself, Gordon put the test back in the folder and locked it in his drawer. "Lord, watch over my little girl."


	9. Chapter 8: Crossing the Rubicon

Chapter 8:

Crossing the Rubicon

Back at Wayne Manor, Nick tried to get some sleep in his bedroom. It was 3 in the morning. But he couldn't, the fresh events of what happened that night had him uneasy. Dent was dead, Zsasz was teamed with the Joker, and Bruce's emotions were high. When they got back to the cave, Bruce had told him, Barbara and Tim to get as much rest as possible. At noon, they would start training for the fight. Tim had suggested they go after the Joker immediately, but Bruce had told him otherwise. They had to be as prepared as possible. Nick tried several times to apologize for the loss of Harvey Dent. Again, Bruce had shrugged it off. He wouldn't allow his mourning to cloud his judgment. Bruce told the three other crime fighters that the loss of Harvey would be in vain if they didn't stop the Joker tonight. The last sight of Bruce was him sitting at the Batcomputer, brooding over the loss of his friend.

Despite Nick's attempts to sleep, he couldn't. Flinging the covers off him, he walked over to the window. Nick eyed his costume flung on the floor; silently he wished life was easier. Moving a chair into the window, he sat down and tried to get his thoughts straight. The moonlight shown all over his body, tonight he had only opted on sleeping a pair of athletic shorts he had ordered with his other clothes. In the moonlight, his most prominent scar was very visible. It ran from the lower part of his right torso, across his chest, up to his left shoulder. The scar was deep pink, almost red against his pail skin. A constant reminder of why he chose this life. He looked down and touched the scar with his finger tips. Nick's mind returned to Two-Face. The way he looked, normal and deformed mouth curled unwillingly into a smile. It was his fault this man was dead, his fault. And now, the most psychotic man in Gotham, maybe the country, hell the world had the cannon. Coupled with the proverbial "polar opposite" of himself, he should have taken Victoria's advice and let Batman handle it. A sudden knock on the door broke Nick from his thoughts. He quickly crossed his arms to hide the scar.

"Come in," Nick said turning to the door. In stepped Barbara, wearing sweat pants and her Gotham University shirt again. "Couldn't sleep either?" Nick asked returning to the window.

"No," she sighed. "Too much on my mind." Barbara locked the door and walked over to the window. She sat down on the arm of the chair, joining Nick looking on the view of the ocean. "I can't even get my thoughts straight. With everything that's happened…"

"Why was Bruce so torn up over Two-Face," Nick asked all of a sudden. Barbara thought for a moment. Should she reveal Bruce's private information? "Please, Barbara," Nick asked staring into the window. Barbara looked into his eyes, they were full of sorrow. She could see he needed closure from what she knew.

"Bruce and Harvey were best friends some time ago," she began. Nick clenched his eyes shut as she spoke on. "Harvey was being blackmailed by Rupert Thorne over his psychological records. Dent had a split personality and Thorne tried to use it to intimidate Harvey. There was an explosion at the plant where Thorne had the files, and Harvey was caught in it. Bruce was there as Batman, he watched as his friend was destroyed, leaving Two-Face in his place. Since then, Bruce has tried everything to get his best friend back." Nick's eyes began to tear, and he moved his hands to wipe his eyes, exposing his chest. Barbara gasped at what she saw. "Oh, my god," she gasped looking at Nick's chest. Nick looked her in the eye and back to his scar.

"It's an old wound, Barbara," he said calmly. Nick brought his fist to his chin, knowing the question that was coming.

"Nick," Barbara began. "What happened?" He said nothing as his eyes moved to the floor. His mind began flashing back and his heart filled sorrow and rage. Barbara could see the emotions flowing from him. The look on his face told her he wasn't ready to cross the Rubicon. "I'm sorry, Nick. I shouldn't have asked." She got up to leave when Nick grabbed her hand. He stood and led her over to the bed. They both sat as Nick looked into her blue eyes.

"It was four years ago," he started. "The Sigma system had just put Reese Software on the map and we were getting contract offers left and right for six months straight. My friends had taken me out to celebrate my 21st birthday and my family's success. I didn't stay out long with them; I had an exam with my evening class the next day. I got home around midnight, the front door was broken in and I could hear my sister screaming bloody murder. I ran in the house and saw a prowler on top of my sister, raping her." Barbara looked at the floor in horror. "I ran over and dragged him off Victoria; I must have thrown him clean across the room. She scrambled into the corner and I turned to the prowler. He landed right by my parents, they were bound and gagged in pools of blood. I knew they were dead. I charged at him, but he swung a dagger at me and cut right across my chest. Blood poured out and I heard my sister scream again. I whipped my coat off and used it as a capture. He swung at me again. I caught his arm and wrapped my coat around his arm. Flipped him to the ground and started wrestling him. I got on top of him and punched him in the face a few times. The dagger got loose and he kicked me off, landed right next to his blade. I managed to grab it first and he grabbed the lamp. The next thing I knew, I felt the dagger go into his body. I stabbed him, right in the heart." Barbara put her arm around Nick, trying to console him. Nick looked in her eyes with tears in his again. Trying to regain himself, Nick continued. "He fell back and the dagger came out of his body. I saw the look in his eyes as he fell to the floor. I just froze there, I couldn't move at all. When he landed on the floor, I watched the life drain from his eyes. He stopped breathing after a few moments. Victoria managed to crawl over to me but she was crying hysterically. When I could move again, I pulled my shirt off and wrapped it around her. I don't how long it took, but I finally managed to get to the phone and called the police."

"Nick, I'm sorry for being so cold," Barbara started. "But I heard about your parents on the news. I thought they died in a car accident."

"We couldn't afford to lose any business," he started. "I spent a small fortune to falsify what happened. Victoria needed weeks of therapy and I spent a couple days in the hospital. We helped each other try to recover."

"Nick, I'm so sorry," Barbara said placing her hands on Nick's cheek. He looked into her eyes, silently, before speaking again.

"A couple months later, Victoria and I were officially the heads of Reese Software, and the Black Bandit was prowling the night streets of Paterson, Jersey City, Union, and Orange," he said. "Victoria is terrified that one night I won't come home. But I am terrified that what happened to us will happen to someone else.

"You didn't have to tell me if you weren't ready, Nick," Barbara said.

"I know," he responded.

"Why did you?" she quipped. Nick put his arm around Barbara and embraced her in his arms.

"We need to be able to trust each other," he started. "And in order for that to happen, you need to know everything about me."

"I learned a lot about you on our date," she responded quickly.

"Yes, and I you," he said. "But you also told me why you became Batgirl." Barbara's eyes widened and her expression got angry.

"What?" she said coarsely. "Here I thought you were opening up to me and you were just being fair?" She turned to leave, but Nick grabbed her arm and she turned to him.

"Barbara," he began. "I came to Gotham to recover the cannon." Nick loosened his grip and looked Barbara in her eyes. "I didn't plan on meeting someone, or falling for her." Barbara said nothing, but smiled in the moonlight that was shining into the room.

"Nor I, Nick," she replied. "You really fell for me?" Nick nodded softly and before Barbara knew it she was placing a kiss on his lips. Nick returned the kiss and shifted his weight and brought them down to the bed. Nick licked at Barbara's lips and she opened her mouth, allowing him entrance. Lightning fired through both bodies as tongues met and intimately danced together. Barbara moaned into Nick's mouth as his hand rubbed at her side and reached under her shirt, rubbing her ribs. Barbara broke the kiss and climbed on top of her new lover. She smiled as she pulled her top over her head, letting her breasts loose. Nick smiled and sat up, burying his face in her chest. He kissed down the middle of her cleavage and took her breasts in his hands. Barbara moaned softly as Nick kneaded the mounds of flesh. The young red head began grinding as she felt the slick liquids flow from her womanhood. Barbara gasped as Nick flipped her onto her back and began kissing down her stomach. Nick reached the waistband of her sweatpants and pulled them down. Barbara bridged up, allowing Nick to slip the pants off her lower body. He smiled lustfully as her trimmed public hair came into view. Barbara's smile was equally lustful as Nick removed her pants and threw them onto the corner of the bed. He lowered his head to Barbara's bare stomach and lightly kissing her flesh. The redhead relaxed into the sheets and opened her legs for Nick. He took the hint and began trailing down to Barbara's swollen womanhood. Once there he turned his head and kissed Barbara's inner thighs, driving the girl more lustful.

"For the love of God, please, Nick," Barbara thought to herself. Her thoughts were cut short when he blew a soft breath on her lips. A soft moan escaped her mouth as Nick's tongue began brushing against her folds. Electricity fired through her whole body as his coarse tongue attacked her sensitive flesh. Nick looked up to see the eyes of his new girlfriend and couldn't see them. With an evil grin he quickly thrust his tongue as deeply as he could inside the maiden. She gasped at the sudden intrusion and began to lose herself as Nick voraciously attacked her. Nick reveled as Barbara began to shudder underneath him.

"Damn, Barbara," he said coming up. Once the haze left her, Barbara sat up and panted a little from the onslaught. She said nothing as she came up and pushed him down onto the bed. Getting on top, Barbara placed a passionate kiss on Nick's lips. The taste of her juices mixing with their saliva, made her wild with lust. She began kissing down his body and tugged at the waistband of his shorts. She pulled them down and gazed at Nick's member. Her womanhood flared as she took hold of it and began stroking its length. Nick moaned as Barbara gently squeezed at the tip. He looked up to watch her give a sultry wink and took him into her mouth. Barbara giggled as she bobbed herself slowly.

"Try and stay in control, if you can," she thought to herself. Growing more daring, she slid her mouth down a little farther and rolled her tongue in her full mouth. Nick was putty in her hands. Though she was a virgin, dating Dick Grayson and Kara's occasional bits of advice gave her a clue how to handle a man. Slowly she began picking up the pace, drawing more lust filled moans from Nick. Eventually he grabbed her hair and pulled her off him.

"Gotta leave a little left in me, babe," he said with a pant. Barbara knew what was coming next, and she crawled over to her discarded sweatpants. She fumbled with the pocket until she pulled the condom Kara had left her. "You came prepared," Nick said.

"Unless you are ready to be a dad, we're going to play it safe," Barbara taunted as she opened the contraceptive.

"Cover me, I'm going in," Nick said as both laughed. She put the condom on Nick and lifted herself onto him. Carefully, she placed his tip at the entrance to her womanhood.

"First guy that showed interest," she thought to herself with a giggle. Slowly she impaled herself on Nick and moaned as he filled her to capacity. She felt no pain from the intrusion. Her oozing juices and the fact her hymen broke in a fight with Catwoman long ago shielded her from any discomfort. Once inside her, she adjusted to the new feeling of having herself stretched out. After a moment, she began rocking back and forth; savoring the pleasure Nick was giving her. He almost lost himself in how narrow her opening was. Though he had slept with a few women already, Barbara was by far the tightest for Nick. The two moved together at a slow pace, enjoying the bonds and pleasure that came to them. Nick reached up and began kneading the mounds of flesh on Barbara's chest and she threw her head back from the pleasure. Soft moans escaped her mouth as Nick began picking up the pace. Barbara was so into the act, she didn't notice Nick pulling her down. Their lips crashed together passionately as Nick continued thrusting into Barbara.

Barbara was caught off guard as Nick turned her and she landed on her back with Nick still inside her. Continuing the motion, Barbara grabbed at the sheet and sucked air through her teeth. Nick smiled as he kept a slow pace with Barbara. Occasionally, he would speed up and thrust deep into her with force. Barbara would tug at the sheets each time he did. But it would only last a few seconds before he would return to a tortuously slow pace. The brazen young man would laugh to himself as he did it. Waves of pleasure began washing over her as her opening began to clench down on Nick. Barbara's first real orgasm began taking over her and with one hand, she covered herself with a pillow and screamed into it. Her free hand found its way to Nick's back and clawed at his flesh. Nick sucked air through his teeth and reveled with pain, driving him further to edge. Soon, Nick felt the pressure building and moaned with her screams. He picked up the pace and Barbara tightly wrapped her legs around his waist forcing him deeper into her. Her back arched and a final scream came from the pillow as Nick delivered a final thrust. Ecstasy absorbed both of them as they exploded together. The condom caught all of Nick's seed but Barbara could still feel liquid erupt inside of her. Both panted heavily and moaned as their bodies became drained of energy. Barbara removed the pillow and looked into Nick's eyes, both covered in a layer of sweat. Slowly, Nick pulled out of Barbara drawing a shock from her sensitive folds. Nick mustered the little strength he could, and got up and went to the bathroom. He pinched the condom off and flushed it before returning to the bed. He looked and saw Barbara was still laying with her legs spread with a dazed look in her face.

"No," he began while slipping under the covers. "Was that your first time?"

"With a guy, yeah," she thought to herself, recalling her trip with Kara. The redhead turned to Nick and nodded. Smiling, Nick grabbed at the covers underneath Barbara and covered her with them. She placed a quick kiss on his lips and laid onto the pillow. "That was incredible, Nick. I'll always remember it."

"Why do you sound like I'm leaving," he asked.

"Just being realistic," she started. "One or both of us could die tonight. Even after that, you have to go back to Jersey, to Victoria, and you company." Barbara lowered her eyes. "What's to stop you from forgetting about me?" Nick placed a finger on her chin and lifted her to his eyes again.

"There is no way either of us will die," he began. "We all are highly trained martial artists. That naturally gives us an edge." Nick's words did little to comfort Barbara. She was still very worried about the forthcoming battle. In the back of her mind, she was also worried she had given her virginity to a man who, though unlikely, could have been looking for another notch in his proverbial belt. "And I always stay in contact with my girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?" Barbara said with a shock.

"Like I said, I didn't plan on falling for someone," Nick said running a hand through her flaming hair. "If you'll have me?" Barbara let a tear out from her eye and placed a very passionate kiss on his lips. When they broke it, they settled into their bed to rest. Nick double checked the alarm to see when he set it for, 11 AM. His last look at the clock read 4 AM. Cuddling back to Barbara, both young crime fighters closed their eyes. Barbara's last thoughts before unconsciousness took her were Nick's last words. "If you'll have me?"

"Yes, Nick. I will," she said as the new couple drifted to sleep in each others arms.


	10. Chapter 9: Coming of the Storm

Chapter 9:

Coming of the Storm

The images were vague. Nick could barely make them out. All he could make out was a black figure in front of him. Something gleamed in its form. A piece of metal, a knife. Nick squinted to make out who it was. Something on the knife caught his eye, blood. The figure swung the knife at him, Nick jumped back to dodge it but tripped over something. When he regained his composure, he looked at what tripped him. There was a body on the floor, his mother. Eyes open, staring into nothing. Laughter filled the air and Nick looked up to see his torturer. The sight brought tears and rage to Nick. It was the prowler from years past, standing and laughing at what he did. Nick got to his knee to jump the slime that caused him so much pain. Something grabbed his shirt, stopping him. Looking down he saw Batgirl, bleeding from a deep cut to her jugular.

"Nick…" she said weakly. Her bloody glove rose to cup his cheek. "You said not to worry…" Her hand dropped to the ground, leaving bloody finger outlines on his cheek. She was dead. Nick's fury boiled over and he reached for his daggers. He found nothing, the sheaths were empty.

"Poor soul," the figure said. Nick looked up and saw his daggers were in the hands of…Zsasz! "Let me free you from your pain," he said swiping a dagger. Nick tried to avoid it but he felt the blade cut across his face. Blood spewed out and Nick let out a painful cry.

Nick sat up with lightning speed in a cold sweat. The mid morning sun bled through the window. Looking around, he saw the room was the same he fell asleep in hours before. A soft moan caught his ear and he turned to see his new girlfriend stirring from her slumber.

"Nick," Barbara said as her eyes fluttered open. "Are you ok?"

"Yea," he responded weakly. Barbara sat up, covering her nude figure with the sheet. She saw the sweat all over Nick's body and gently stroked his arm.

"Is everything alright?" she asked caringly. Nick looked at her and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Just a nightmare," he said. "It didn't mean anything." Barbara placed a quick kiss on her man's lips and ran her fingers through his hair. Nick gazed over at the clock and saw it was only 9:45. Long before the alarm was set to go off. Nick reached over and turned off the alarm before reaching over to Barbara's cell phone. "Do you mind if I use this to call the office?"

"Not at all, babe," Barbara said getting out of bed. She let the sheet fall from her form and stretched her sleepy muscles. Looking over her shoulder, Barbara saw Nick staring at her naked form. Gracefully, she walked around the bed and strutted toward the bathroom. Nick reached out and grabbed her hand before cupping her leg. "Mmm, you want Round 2?" she asked seductively. Nick responded with a smile and ran his hand over the healing, 2 day old gunshot wound. The skin was its natural color and there was a border of pink around the stitching.

"This is healing nicely," he said stroking the black stitches. Barbara bent over at the waist and placed another quick kiss on Nick's lips and strode to the bathroom. She closed the door as Nick dialed the office and was connected to his sister. Nick heard the water collide with the shower floor as his sister picked up on the other line.

"Why was there a copy of the Gotham Times on my desk this morning?" Victoria asked invasively. "And why are you in the society section with a…Miss Barbara Gordon?"

"I had a date last night," her brother said with a little annoyance in his voice. "Is that a problem?"

"What am I supposed to think?" Victoria started. "You said you were trying to find the cannon and you have a nasty little habit of attracting floosies and gold diggers." Nick raised his eyebrow at his sister's comment. "Are you in Gotham to find the cannon, or have Bruce Wayne make you another rich playboy?" Nick could tell that his sister was half joking and half serious. He had several failed relationships and a few women in his life only interested in money.

"You do not have to worry about Barbara being a gold digger, sis," he said quickly.

"Well if you have time to go on a date," she started. "You have time to ask Batman to recover the cannon. I just don't understand how you could find time to have a date when you told me yesterday the only people you ran into were Batman and Batgirl…" Victoria paused for a brief moment. Nick's gut tightened up, Victoria was not what you would call a dumb woman. "Is she…?"

"Victoria don't ask." Nick quickly responded. His sister did not pry, she knew Nick was a man who honored privacy and expected the same from her.

"Where is she?" the younger Reese asked.

"In the shower," Nick responded begrudgingly. "Batman has planned for us to move in and retrieve the cannon tonight. If all goes well, I'll be able to fly to Los Angeles for the Deltaware merger."

"That's a load of my mind," Victoria said. "Last thing I wanted to hear was you going in with a half assed plan." Nick chuckled at his little sister. She could be a pain, but it was out of love. "Before I forget, I have some new research to go over with you."

"Leave it until later," her brother said. "Batman wants us to train for the day." Just as he finished speaking, the water turned off and Barbara stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around her.

"Your turn," she said with a smile. Barbara saw the look on Nick's face and got concerned.

"If that is Barbara, I want to talk to her," Victoria said to her brother. Nick looked at Barbara and handed the phone to her. Barbara took it and stepped out of the bathroom. Nick stepped through the doorway and into the shower as Barbara picked up the phone. The sound of water coming from the bathroom told her Nick was in the shower.

"Hello, Victoria," Barbara said pleasantly sitting on the bed.

"What's your game?" Victoria asked harshly.

"Game?" Barbara retorted, surprised at the venomous words.

"I don't trust anyone who wakes up with my brother's bed," Victoria continued to spit fire at the redhead on the other side of the line.

"I know it doesn't exactly look right for us to first speak this way," the redhead said defensively.

"No shit, sister," Victoria said. "So I ask you again, what's your game?"

"There is no game," Barbara said with sincerity in her voice.

"If you are after my brother's money, I guarantee that you have a pre-nup before you get a ring," the younger Reese said over the phone.

"I am not the kind of girl who focuses on money," Barbara started harshly. "My father taught me long ago that money isn't everything. And I don't appreciate your accusation, Miss Reese." Barbara may have been on the phone but she was as fired up as if Victoria was standing right in front of her. Victoria could hear the emotion is Barbara's voice. The floosies Nick had dated before were more attitude than emotion. And none of them had the courage to address her formally. They always tried to act like they were her best friend. For a few brief seconds, Victoria was in thought, absorbing Barbara's words. Call it "woman's intuition," but something told Victoria she could trust Barbara. The young redhead sat on the bed in silence. Barbara was very nervous that her first impression on Nick's sister was ruined.

"Hello?" Barbara asked into the phone. Again there was more silence before Victoria spoke.

"Forgive me for my hostility, Barbara," Victoria began softly. The clouds disappeared from over Barbara's head as the new acquaintance continued. "Some girls have tried to pull the wool over my brother's eyes in the past. And I am very suspicious of everyone that comes into our lives."

"I can understand, Victoria," the redhead began. "I forgive you."

"Nick is the only family I have," Victoria began. "We watch out for each other." Barbara nodded in agreement with her new boyfriend's sister. She knew their history and trust would be difficult to earn from Victoria. Barbara switched the phone into her other hand and readjusted her towel. She heard the water shut off in the bathroom. Victoria thought briefly on talking "business" with Barbara, but instead she honored her brother's words. "Nick told me he has some more business in Gotham before he flies to LA. If you are with him, please keep an eye on him. I don't think I could stomach if anything happened to him. Tell him, 'I love him.'"

"I will," Barbara said with care. Both ladies said goodbye to each other and Barbara placed her phone down onto the side table. Walking over to her discarded clothes, she put the t-shirt and pajama bottoms on and finished drying her hair with the towel. Her mind kept wandering back to her conversation. "If I am with him," she said to herself. Victoria knew Nick's secret and why he was in Gotham. Then it hit her, "She knows I'm Batgirl!" The bathroom door opened up and Nick stepped out naked and dripping wet. He walked over to his shorts and put them back on. Barbara turned to him with a look of panic. "She knows my secret!"

"And she will honor it as she does mine," Nick quipped drying off the scar on his chest. "You can trust her, because she trusts me." The look of worry on Barbara's face slowly dissipated and she smiled as Nick walked over to her. The two embraced and Nick placed a small kiss on Barbara's lips. A knock on the door broke the two apart. "Come in," Nick said. In stepped Tim, bed head and all. The boy was in a guinea tee and boxer shorts and yawned very loudly.

"Hey Reese," he started, not knowing Barbara was in the room. "Bruce sent me to see if you…" Tim stopped in the middle of his sentence when he saw Barbara standing to Nick's side. The young man looked at his surrogate sister and back to Nick several times. The silence was very awkward. Nick opened his mouth to speak when Tim cut him off. "Not my business what happened," he started. "Bruce wants us suited up and in the cave. Alfred has some breakfast down there already." Nick and Barbara nodded at the boy and he left. Nick gathered his costume and he and Barbara left the room. She motioned for him to wait and Barbara returned to her room and retrieved her Batgirl costume. When she returned, Nick was standing in the hallway waiting for her. She smiled at him and he smiled back. Walking up to her man, the two walked with costumes in hand down the hall and stairs. When they came to the wall with the hidden elevator behind it, Barbara activated the passage.

"Did you tell your sister about the Joker and Zsasz?" Barbara asked. The wall slid open and the two stepped into the elevator.

"No," Nick said as the door closed and the elevator descended. "She had a near panic attack when I told her Two-Face, God rest him, had the cannon. Last thing I want for her is to damn near have a heart attack." Barbara nodded in agreement as the door opened and the couple walked into the Batcave. Over by the massive computer, Bruce and Tim were half suited up when Barbara and Nick joined them. They quickly ate the Eggs Benedict and coffee Alfred had made. "Ready to go?" Nick asked Bruce putting his napkin down.

"Yes," Bruce said in his stern voice.

"What do we do?" Barbara asked.

"I downloaded all known data on the Joker and Zsasz to your computer, Nick," Bruce began. "I want you to spend a few hours familiarizing yourself with them, specifically Zsasz." Nick nodded in agreement as Bruce pulled his cowl over his face. Robin had also finished getting dressed and stood next to his mentor. "Barbara, you go with Tim. I want the two of you to spar and go through some agility training." Barbara nodded with Batman. "If those stitches pop, you are not coming tonight." With a scoff, Barbara agreed with Batman.

"What are you going to do, Batman," Robin asked.

"Making a back-up plan," Batman said vaguely. He turned to walk towards his work station when Nick spoke up.

"I know the military wants the cannon back intact," he said. Batman stopped in his tracks but kept his back to Nick. "But if we have to, it must be destroyed."

"That's what I was planning," the Dark Knight responded. He walked off to his work station and Robin left towards the training area with Barbara following. Nick turned to his laptop and brought up the new files Batman had downloaded. As he got dressed, Nick began to read and study the files. His torso armor and leggings slowly went on as he read about Harley Quinn. His boots, belt and gloves went on as he read about the Joker.

Finally, his coat and mask went on as the Bandit read about Zsasz. As minutes turned to hours, the Black Bandit found himself immersed himself with the criminal minds he was about to face. The maniacal nature of the Joker, the naïveté of Harley Quinn, the brutality of Zsasz. Occasionally, grunts from Robin and Batgirl would break his concentration, but not for long. Once in a while, a waft of melted solder would drift over from Batman's workstation. The Bandit continued to study the files, resting only to eat the lunch Alfred had brought the group at noon. After some time, Batman returned to the computer. He walked up just as the Bandit finished the files and turned off his laptop. He stood up and looked the Caped Crusader dead in the eyes. The Bandit said nothing but nodded. Batman walked in the opposite direction towards the training area with the Bandit following. They came upon Robin standing to the side as Batgirl was tumbling on the balance beam. She did a cartwheel on the beam landed with a little hesitation on her leg.

"How's she doing?" Batman asked the Boy Wonder.

"Her movement and reaction times are a little off," the boy began. "Not much though, and her stitches are holding." Batgirl dismounted the beam and pulled her cowl off to wipe her face with a towel.

"How do you feel?" the Bandit asked.

"It stings with impact pressure," she began. "Nothing I can't handle." Placing the cowl back on her head, Batgirl turned to Batman. "What were you working on?" Batman reached into his utility belt and pulled out four small, black disks about 3 inches in diameter.

"Using the Bandit's data," he began. "I built these Inverse Resonators. Get one of these with five feet of the cannon and they generate a feedback pulse on the same frequency as the cannon. If the Joker tries to use it, the cannon shorts out." Batman handed once to each of the three in front of him. The Bandit nodded in approval of the device handed to him. He placed the weapon in an empty pouch of his belt and turned back to Batman. "You sure you're alright, Batgirl?" The young beauty nodded to her mentor with confidence. "Ok, you and Robin rest for a while. Bandit, you spar with me."

"Yes, sir," the Bandit quipped. Walking over to the sparing circle next to the beam, Batman removed his cape while the Bandit removed his trench coat. Batman walked over to the armory area of the cave and returned with two wooden daggers in his hand. He kept one and gave the other to the Bandit. The Bandit tossed the weapon around to get a feel for its weight. Once comfortable, he held it firm in his right hand, raising his left for a guard.

"I'll mimic the fighting style of Zsasz to give you some practice," Batman said. The Bandit nodded as the Champion in Gotham took a loose and sloppy pose. He was hunched over with the "blade" in front his eyes. The Bandit recognized the form, it's what untrained fighters use to be as fluid as possible. The Bandit's form was strong and relaxed, native to someone with training and experience. The two stood in front of each other briefly before Batman made the first move. He tried to stab right into the Bandit's throat, but his move was already useless. The Bandit's left hand swung upward and deflected the strike. All present were shocked to see the Bandit swing with lightning speed. In the time it took to most people to blink an eye, the Bandit has closed the gap and landed two swipes across Batman's torso.

"How did you…" Robin exclaimed. The sound of wood falling onto stone echoed into the cave. The Bandit turned around to have Batman staring him right in the face.

"I appreciate the gesture, Batman," he said calmly. "But I can handle Zsasz, and to answer your question, Robin. I learned the art of Knife Fighting from an Apache Master. They are the undisputed masters with knives and daggers." Batman looked the young man dead in the eyes, half expecting to see arrogance in his eyes. He saw none. There was nothing but confidence in his deep brown eyes. Batman nodded to the young man and turned to the others.

"Alright," Batman began. "Let's rest for a while and eat something." The Dark Knight turned and walked towards the Batcomputer with the others following. The four converged on the massive screen and Batman began typing. Batgirl rested next to the Bandit on the railing and took hold of his hand. He gave little squeeze back to her. Robin chose to stand with Batman at the computer. The screen flickered to life and an image of the Gotham Towers appeared.

"The Gotham Towers are the third tallest buildings in the city," Batman began. "They both are 87 stories tall, and the roof of each building can hold two large helicopters." Typing in a few more keys, Batman focused on the South Tower. "The South Tower's roof is being rewired from a lightning strike 3 weeks ago. The Joker will need a strong power supply to use the full capacity, that's where he'll be."  
"Wait a minute," Robin said surprised. "That four foot hole in the wall from last night, wasn't full capacity?"

"Like many arms," the Bandit started. "The cannon was designed to be mounted on a vehicle hooked up to a larger power supply. Perfect for running road blocks and embankments set up to halt our boys."

"Leave it the military to overdo weaponry," Batgirl quipped. The Bandit chuckled a little at Batgirl's comment.

"The Tower's design was based off the World Trade Centers in New York," Batman continued. "There's no way we can access the roof from a lower floor safely. Robin and I will take the Batwing and fly to the rendezvous. Bandit, you and Batgirl take the elevator to the top of the South Tower and grapple across to the North Tower." Robin, Batgirl and the Bandit nodded with Batman. "Once there, it's likely the Joker will want Zsasz to fight the Bandit. Robin and I will watch the Joker's gang, Batgirl you watch Quinn." Again the other nodded with the Dark Knight. "No matter what, we have to either recover the cannon, or get a Resonator close to it." The Bandit took in Batman's plan; it was good for the situation.

"Why don't we try a quieter approach?" Robin began. "You never use a frontal assault, Batman."

"Sun Tzu, the Art of War," the Bandit said. "Use the battlefield to your advantage."

"Exactly," Batman said. "The situation isn't ideal for us; it is for the Joker. It's up to us to end this game." The Bandit gave a heavy sigh when the Batman finished. Batgirl squeezed his hand in comfort. She could tell he was about to protest then plan somehow. Casually, the Bandit let go of Batgirl's hand and put his hands in his pockets. "Yes?" Batman asked dryly.

"I appreciate everything, Batman," the Bandit began. "But you shouldn't be risking your lives for my mistake."

"Don't even think it," Batgirl snapped harshly. The three men snapped around in surprise. Most would expect Batman to be the one to counter the Bandit. "There is no way we are letting you go after the cannon alone. We're all in this now." The Bandit looked into her blue eyes and could tell it wasn't just her brain talking, it was her heart. Batgirl raised her yellow hand to the Bandit's shoulder and stroked it gently. With a small smirk, the Bandit turned to Batman again.

"What structures are on the roof?" the Bandit asked. Batman returned to the computer and typed in some keys. All eyes followed the screen and the Bandit gave a playful bump to Batgirl with his elbow. Both smiled as the computer focused on the roof of the North Tower. Unbeknownst to the others, the Bandit hand reached into a secret pouch in his pockets and held three pellets in each hand. As the others watched the screen, the Bandit pulled out his hands and let the pellets go. The six make solid sounding clunks on the floor, causing Batman and the others to whip around. Before they could react, the pellets exploded, causing a dense white mist to fill the area. Batman, Robin, and Batgirl started coughing as the mist entered their system. Robin succumbed to it first, then Batman. Batgirl fought to stay awake, grabbing at where the Bandit once stood. She found him and grabbing his trench coat, pulled him in. Grasping at his torso, she felt the Bandit was holding his breath. Then it hit her, he was going after the cannon alone.

"Nick….don't," she said weakly as darkness took her. When she was out, the Bandit lowered her to the stone floor.

"Airborne toxin detected," the computer said. "Ventilation system: activating." The hidden fans sprung to life and cleared the mist. Within seconds, the Bandit saw the unconscious bodies of his fellow heroes. Batman and Robin were face down; Batgirl lay on her back carefully lowered by the Bandit as she passed out. Moving quickly, the Bandit collected his laptop and ran to his motorcycle. He put the computer in its saddle bag. As he closed the compartment, he heard the bell of the elevator and watched Alfred race over to his employer. The Bandit took flight after the Englishman. Alfred reached Batman and pulled an antidote gun out of his pocket and tried to revive his master. As he was about to administer the antidote, the Bandit grabbed Alfred by the rear collar of his jacket and pulled him away.

"HOW DARE YOU, MASTER REESE!" he yelled as the Bandit knocked away the gun. Alfred watched in horror as it fell off the ledge, deep into the cave. "What have you done?"

"They'll be fine," the Bandit said looking at the bodies. "The gas will wear off in about an hour." Alfred opened his mouth to protest, but the Bandit cut him off. "I can't let them risk their lives for my mistake." The Bandit walked over to Batgirl and knelt by her. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He took a long drag before continuing. "There is enough blood on my hands." Bowing down, the Bandit placed a kiss on Batgirl's unmoving lips. He looked at her chest rising and falling slowly, she looked at peace. The Bandit rose and walked off to his motorcycle.

"But, Master Reese," Alfred cried. The Bandit gave no response as he mounted his motorcycle and turned the engine over. The roar echoed in the cave and the Bandit threw away his cigarette as he put his helmet on. "MASTER REESE!" Alfred called in vain. The motorcycle peeled out through the cave's tunnel and into the night. Alfred looked at his watch, it was 7:30. "By 8:30, they should be awake," he thought recalling the Bandit's words. "And that brave fool may be on his way to meet St. Peter."

**The battle is coming, what will happen? R & R everyone.**


	11. Chapter 10: Killer Instinct

Chapter 10:

Killer Instinct

The glass door leading from the streets to the North Gotham Tower was shattered into a thousand pieces. The few guards investigating the disturbance were out cold on the floor. A thin mist of purple was dissipating in the air while the elevator light illuminated higher and higher floors. Inside the small steel structure were the Moe, Lar, and Cur, loyal henchmen of the Joker. Zsasz stood motionless in one of the corners, still restrained in his straightjacket. The Joker stood at the head of the group in front of the split of the doors. To his right was an impatient Harley Quinn holding the large case containing the Positron Laser Cannon. As the numbers above the doors illuminated higher numbers, Joker was drooling at the evil he was about to unleash. The hum of the elevator was interrupted as they reached halfway up the North Gotham Tower.

"Puddin?" Quinn whined. "Why do we have to set up shop so early? You told Bat-Brain to meet us at midnight, and its quarter to nine." Zsasz ignored the squeal from the blonde.

"Yea, Boss," Lar said. "We're missing the end of the Marx Brothers Marathon." The Joker turned to his goons with an enraged frown, scaring the three men.

"Watch your mouth, Porcupine," Moe said slapping Lar across his cheek. The Joker looked at his right hand man and let his trademark smile spread across his face.

"Can't beat the classics, right Zsaszy, HAHAHAHAHA," the Joker said. The psychotic killer said nothing as he stared into the brushed steel of the elevator. His hands were fidgeting inside the sleeves of the restraints, begging to hold a knife. Thoughts of the Black Bandit raced through his mind. All he could think of was spilling the Bandit's blood, and how he would position his corpse.

"Guess he's not in a chatty mood, Mr. J," Quinn said. The bell rang and the doors opened up to the top floor of the North Tower. The hodgepodge of Gotham's Worst exited and walked calmly towards the stairwell. Their steps were filled with arrogance. If any silent alarms had been tripped, they didn't have to worry about the police. Above, in the skylight, Zsasz saw something flapping in the wind. Someone was waiting for them. "Puddin, you still didn't say why we are here so dang early?"

"Quite simple, Harley," the Joker said. "You think the Dork Knight will wait until midnight to arrive?" Harley shook her head as they entered the stairwell to the roof. "If I know Batman, and I do, he's is already on his way here. But with the cannon and Zsasz to assist us, this will be the night we have dreamed of. The end of Batman." Harley gave a playful squeal as they continued up the final flight of stairs. The door in front of had "Roof Access" printed in red letters. Joker and company could feel the wind gusts coming in from the door jam. Harley was struggling with the large case in hers arms, fumbling it before she set it down on the ground for a moment. The Joker turned to Zsasz and then to Cur. "Take of the jacket, Cur." The bald hood complied as the Joker reached into his purple coat and pulled out a large 12 inch knife. The straightjacket fell to the floor with a thud and the Joker's crew backed up a step. Zsasz shrugged his shoulders and made large circles with his arms to stretch his sore muscles. His skin, tattooed with scars, one for each victim; invoked fear and awe. Zsasz froze when saw the knife and his eyes widened at its beauty. Stainless steel straight blade, about 12 inches long, a gentle curve from the body into the tip, full hilt guard and a black grip on the handle. The Joker flipped the knife and gave it to Zsasz. The serial killer raised the blade to his mouth and licked it from hilt to tip.

"This blade," he said coarsely. "Yearns to liberate." The Joker held out his hand towards the door, giving Zsasz the right of way. Zsasz opened the door and walked out onto the roof first.

"I want to cannon hardwired into the building's power supply immediately," the Joker said following Zsasz. "Bats will be here any…OOOF!" The Joker was cut off as he bumped into Zsasz's back. Harley's face instantly went serious at seeing Zsasz standing in the doorway.

"Bats in the belfry?" she said expecting a fight.

"Not your foe, Child," Zsasz said continuing onto the roof. Joker, Harley, and their stooges followed onto the roof. "T'is my foe." The five stood staring at the lone figure of the Black Bandit standing in the full moon light by the skylight. He stood strong and confident while the wind atop the building blew the lower half of his coat away from his body. The Bandits arms rested at his sides, ready to fight. The glowing ember of his cigarette barely illuminated his face. The Bandit's eyes were locked on Zsasz and vice versa. Taking a final puff, the Bandit spit his cigarette out and released the smoke.

"You DO know smoking isn't good for you," Harley shouted with a chuckle. Zsasz took a step forward to gauge the Bandit's reaction. He made none. Growing bolder, Zsasz took a few more steps.

"Stand down, Zsasz," the Bandit shouted. Zsasz stopped moving but held his ground.

"Where's Batman?" Joker said with anger.

"I incapacitated him, Joker," the Bandit replied defiantly. The Joker clenched his teeth at the young hero. How dare he rob him of Batman? "You will face only me. If you all surrender, I'll testify that you co-operated."

"I'm afraid we can't do that," the Joker said sinisterly. He gestured for Harley and his crew to move over the power box on the side of the stairwell hut. "And I can't break my promise to Victor," the Joker finished low and menacing. Zsasz began to move forward, his back hunched over and his arms swayed free and loose. The Bandit brought his fists up to a guard position. In the moonlight and radiant light from Gotham, the Bandit could see that multitude of scars on Zsasz's body. As Zsasz stepped forward, the Bandit stepped back and circled with his guard up.

"We don't have to do this, Victor," the Bandit called.

"You are in pain, Bandit," Zsasz said with an evil smile. "And I am your liberator." Zsasz charged at the Bandit, but the masked man stood his ground. Zsasz threw a straight stab to the Bandit's stomach. The young man simply side stepped the strike and swiped it away with his right arm. Then pushed on Zsasz's back with his left hand, send Zsasz off balance. The scarred madman quickly recovered and faced the hero with the blade ready in front of his chest.

"There is no pain, Zsasz," the Bandit said. "I am in full control."

"YOU LIE," Zsasz shouted. "If that were true, your dagger would be in my back. You are like Batman, sworn never to kill. You are weak." The Bandit mulled over Zsasz's words. They were true; he swore that he would try to never take a life. But he was not weak. Moving his hands from the guard position and into the breast of the trench coat, the Bandit drew his twin daggers. He brought his clenched fists back up into a guard position, the blades held in an outside grip. Zsasz licked his lips at the sight of the Bandit's daggers as they shone in the moonlight. While these two were staring each other down, the Joker was watching on.

"This is going to be very entertaining," he said to himself. Behind him, the stooges and Harley had finished connecting the cannon to the power box. The bazooka-like weapon was currently charging.

"Our new toy will be ready in a few minutes, Puddin," Harley said walking up to her "love." She put arm around his shoulder and eyed the show. "Moe," she said. "Keep an eye out for any distractions." Moe nodded and the goons followed their orders.

The Bandit and Zsasz were still locked on each other. Zsasz charged again and threw slash at the Bandit. He ducked underneath the swipe with ease and turned the heels of his boot to face Zsasz again. The killer turned slowly to face his challenge and the Bandit flipped his daggers to an inside grip. Zsasz and the Bandit stared each other down. Zsasz was the first to charge, throwing another slash. The Bandit block the strike with his blade, a loud metallic twang vibrated in the air. The two blades slid to their hilts and the Bandit brought his second blade into the fray. Forming an X guard with his blades, the Bandit held firm against his foe. Zsasz tried to push forward but the large frame of the Bandit did not budge. The Bandit stared into Zsasz's eyes; he saw nothing but contempt and rage. Twisting the daggers to the left, the Bandit forced Zsasz off balance and caught him with a forearm blow to the jaw. Zsasz staggered back and the Bandit caught him in the chest with a strong side kick, send the psycho back farther.

"Give it up, Zsasz," the Black Bandit shouted. "You can't beat me." Zsasz stood slowly from his bent position with a sinister smile on his face.

"I desire not your defeat," he began. Zsasz's stance then firmed up and he held his knife strong in his hand. "I want to free you from your melancholy existence." Zsasz now stood strong and confident. The Bandit's eyes widened when he realized what Zsasz was doing. He had been feeling him out the last few minutes, purposely making himself seem untrained. Zsasz's stance now mirrored the Bandit. Still the black figure stood firm as Zsasz stalked forward. The Bandit readied himself for another volley. Zsasz quickly step forward on his right leg, the Bandit moved to parry his strike. At the last minute, Zsasz closed the gap and shifted his weight to the left. The Bandit saw his sudden shift and tried to move to block, but wasn't fast enough. Zsasz swiped his arm across, his blade cutting the Bandit's torso. The Bandit felt a burn in his right side and let out a grunt. There was no need to feel the wound, the burn stretched a few inches in Bandit's side. From how intense the pain was, the Bandit could tell it was a deep wound. His instinct told him to cover the wound with his left hand but he ignored to turn and face Zsasz. He was met with a punch to the face that sent him back a few feet.

"Bravo, Zsasz. Encore, encore!" the Joker called. His gang gave a series of hoots and hollers at the killer.

"Shit," the Bandit said to himself finally bringing his clenched fist to his side. He felt the warmth of his body and the twinge of his muscles through the leather of his gloves. Looking up, the Bandit saw Zsasz approach again. Zsasz drew his knife back again for a stab and Bandit moved his left hand from the wound to block it. Zsasz surprised him with stiff jab with his left hand. The Bandit staggered back again as Zsasz came in for another swipe with his knife. The Bandit brought hit right hand up and steel met steel again. Zsasz's knife slid off and found itself inside the Bandit's guard. Seizing the moment, Zsasz move to bring the blade across the Bandit's chest, but missed. He cut into the Bandit's coat breast, tearing into the leather. The Bandit's cigarette case and lighter fell to the roof. Both men separated and charged each other at the same time. Both had had enough of each other. With his side bleeding, the Bandit threw various strikes at Zsasz only to be blocked by his blade and missed thanks to the killer's agility. Zsasz's strikes were deflected by the two blades of the Bandit. The Joker watched on with delight as the two continued their chess game. A double beep broke the Joker from his concentration on the fight.

"The cannon is charged, Boss," Cur said.

"Ohhh I don't think we will need it," the Joker began turning back to the fight.

"Yea," Harley Quinn finish. "Tall, dark, and goofy there is likely to bleed to death at this rate." Zsasz landed another blow to the Bandit's stomach, irritating the wound and send the black figure back to the skylight. Suddenly, a high pitched screech filled the air. Everyone paused to look around, but the Joker quickly refocused everyone.

"No…" the Bandit said to himself.

"Batman is coming, KILL THE BANDIT!" he shouted. Zsasz came forward at the Bandit. He thrust the blade forward again to stab the Bandit's heart. Seeing the attack, the Bandit dodged the strike by leaning to the side at the last minute. The two became intertwined and began falling back. The impact was so strong, the Bandit lost grip of his daggers as the two fell back and crashed through the skylight. Glass fragments showered down with the two men as they twisted in midair to avoid a crippling landing. Both landed on with a thud, and Zsasz was knocked unconscious and came to rest on the floor. The Bandit landed one of the desks and his head bounced on the wood structure. The impact knocked him for a loop and darkness invaded the corners of his eyes. Try as he did, the Bandit could not fight it off. Before the darkness took him, the Bandit saw the last thing he wanted to see. The silhouette of the Batwing and focused red beam fired at it. The all was black.

The Bandit awoke in the stairwell with Zsasz dragging him up the stairs. The Bandit moved to struggle, but Zsasz threw him against the wall. The Bandit hit with a low thud and tried to stand. Zsasz's knife was instantly at his throat and the two locked eyes again. For a moment, neither said anything. The Bandit noted what the fall had done to Zsasz. The glass had cut him up and he was bleeding from several places, and his face was bruised from where he fell on the floor.

"Do it," the Bandit said defiantly. Zsasz pressed the knife harder on the Bandit's throat. After a tense moment, Zsasz removed the blade and kick the wound in the Bandit side. The young man let out a painful roar as blood oozed out of the reopened wound.

"You will die," Zsasz said. "Once we are in the city skyline, your domain. And I have placed a cigarette in your mouth." Zsasz words resonated in the Bandit's head and he smiled. "I am surprised, not many smile at their impending liberation."

"Death is funny," the Bandit said with a chuckle as Zsasz picked him up roughly and forced him up the last flight of stairs.

Meanwhile on the roof, Batman, Batgirl, and Robin darted about fighting the Joker and his gang. Batman and Robin were holding their own against the Joker, Lar, Moe, and Cur; while Batgirl fought Quinn.

"ENOUGH!" Zsasz yelled as he pushed the Bandit through the door. The fighting stopped and the Joker ran to the cannon. Batman, Robin, and more so Batgirl watched in horror as the Bandit struggled to get to his feet. His trench coat was cut, torn, and even in the moonlight, his wound and blood were very visible.

"BANDIT!" Robin shouted. Batgirl remained deadly silent staring at the battered man she had fallen in love with. She moved to approach the Bandit, but was cut off by a red beam fired right in front of her. The Joker had the cannon trained on the three heroes; none of them moved. Lar, Moe, and Cur walked behind the trio and restrained them.

"No spoiling Zsasz's fun, hehehe," the Joker chuckled. Zsasz pushed the Bandit over to where his cigarettes fell. Slowly, he stalked his prey as the Bandit kneeled by his dropped items. The killer gave him a final punch to the face, causing the Joker and his gang to laugh hysterically. The Bandit crumbled to the ground. Batgirl tried to run to the Bandit, but Lar held her back. Batman and Robin both struggled against Cur and Moe. Batman then suddenly stopped struggling. His eyes met the Bandit's and Batman could see him smiling. Finally, the Bandit gave him a wink and placed his left hand on a pouch of his utility belt.

"ZSASZ, STOP!" Batgirl shouted. Zsasz ignored her grabbed the Bandit's case and lighter. He removed a cigarette and lit it in his own mouth. Releasing a puff, Zsasz grabbed the Bandit by the front of his costume and raised him to his knees. He removed the cigarette and put it in the Bandit's mouth and placed the knife at the Bandit's throat. All present had their eyes on Zsasz and the Bandit. The Joker's and Harley's smiles were from ear to ear. Lar, Moe, and Cur were chuckling like oafs. Robin had turned his eyes away. Batman remained stoic. Batgirl was starting to struggle against her captor.

"You can't go, not yet, Nick," she thought with tears in her eyes. Weakly, the Bandit took a puff the cigarette and raised right hand to remove it. Batgirl's eyes widened in horror as the Bandit released the smoke from his mouth and sucked it into his nose.

"Your pain shall, Black Bandit," Zsasz said tensing up. His muscles twitched as they moved to slice the vulnerable throat. The world slowed down for everyone present.

"Check-mate," the Bandit said to Zsasz. BAAANG! The Bandit activated his grappling hook on his wrist and caught Zsasz in the jaw. The metal teeth of the hook cut into Zsasz's jaw and blood began to spew from the wound. He was jolted back and the knife came lose. The Bandit caught it on the way down, rose to his feet, and thrust it forward through Zsasz's chest into his black heart. The blade buried itself halfway into the killer. The Bandit then reached into his pouch to retrieve the resonator. Pivoting around, he threw it to Batman. In the pivot, the Bandit turned on his heel and brought left leg up and smashed the knife, burying it deeper into Zsasz's chest. Zsasz shuddered at the pain and fell. He coughed up a glob of blood and laid still. The Bandit fell as well, just as Zsasz's blood began to seep from the impaled knife.

The Joker reacted by raising the cannon to shoot the Bandit. Batman gave a reverse head butt to Cur, freeing himself. He ran forward and caught the resonator, activated it and threw it at the cannon. The Joker had leveled the cannon on the prone hero. He started laughing at the Bandit and began to squeeze the trigger. The cannon began to come alive, and the Bandit was bathed in a red glow. Suddenly, a black disk flew into view and attached itself to the cannon just as it discharged. The resonator did its job, and shorted out the cannon. The electrical surge traveled into the Joker, shocking him as well. In a panic, Harley ran over to try and pry the cannon out of the Joker's hands, only to get shocked herself. The resonator deactivated and electricity stopped, leaving an unconscious Joker and Quinn smoking on the roof. Batgirl and Robin escaped from Moe and Lar, knocking them both out in the process. The three heroes darted over to the fallen men. Batgirl cradled the Bandit in her lap as Batman began to dress his wound. Robin used his com link to tap into the police radio and called for Gordon and his men.

"Zsasz?" the Bandit asked weekly. Robin finished the call and place two fingers on the killer's neck.

"He's dead," Robin said dryly. The Bandit squirmed as Batman applied anti-septic onto his side. Batman piled gauze onto the wound to control the bleeding.

"I didn't want to," the Bandit began.

"You had no choice," Batgirl interrupted. "If you didn't, Zsasz would have killed you." Batman removed his cape and wrapped it around the Bandit's torso to stop the bleeding.

"I still killed him," the Bandit said with remorse. Batgirl began to cry. Not only was Nick in physical pain, his was in mental pain as well. She gently lifted him into a hug, and noticed the Bandit's breathing was becoming shallow. The Bandit's adrenaline was dropping and his body was weakened from the severe loss of blood.

"Bandit?" she called. He didn't respond. From the Bandit's eyes, the world began to blur. His vision lost focus and everything was starting to glow brighter. Batgirl's motions could vaguely be made out and her voice began to echo. The last thing the Bandit heard was Batgirl shouting at him.

"I love you," her voice cried and then all was dark.


	12. Chapter 11: Coming to Terms

Chapter 11:

Coming to Terms

The heart monitor beeped at a slow, steady pace. Nick lay unconscious in the bedroom he had been given when he first arrived at Wayne Manor. The IV bag was nearly drained and a blood bag was draining into Nick's arm. An elderly woman, Dr. Leslie Thompkins, walked into the bedroom and looked at the monitor. Glancing down to write on her papers, she took note of the fallen hero's vitals. Dr. Thompkins shook her head reading what the monitor said. Moving on, she took her stethoscope and placed it on her ears. As she placed the metal on the exposed scar on the chest, Nick's hand reached up on grabbed Dr. Thompkins's wrist.

"Who the hell are you?" Nick said sternly. His eyes were locked on the stranger's. Even in his weakened state, Nick's grip was like iron.

"Dr. Leslie Thompkins," she replied with equal sternness. "I've been Bruce's personal physician for years." Nick looked around and saw that he was back in his room at Wayne Manor. The morning sun was already in the sky. "Would you please let my wrist go so I can finish taking your vitals?" Satisfied he was safe, Nick let Dr. Thompkins hand go and she returned to his chest. "Try and ignore the pain and give me some deep breaths." Nick mentally braced himself and gave a deep breath. Pain shot from the wound in his side. It felt like acid had been poured on Nick's bare skin. It was a fight to keep himself from flinching, but Nick stayed still for the good doctor. Leslie listened as Nick took in air. "Again," she said moving her stethoscope. Nick complied and Leslie listened as her patient's lungs took in air.

"How deep is it?" Nick asked suddenly. Leslie looked at the young man dryly and took the buds out of her ears.

"You're lucky to be alive, Mr. Reese," she began.

"Nick," Nick interrupted.

"Nick," Dr. Thompkins continued. "The leather in your coat and armor kept Zsasz's knife from going deep enough into your liver. A couple more inches and your Hepatic Portal would have been severed." Nick let a chuckle go, but the laughing aggravated his wound.

"Lucky me," he said sarcastically. Dr. Thompkins crossed her arms and shook her head at the young man in front of her.

"Indeed you are," she started. "Alfred and I spent hours stitching you together and your heart stopped twice before we finished. Before Bruce got you to me, you lost 45% of your blood before we got a line into you. Not that you are likely to listen, but you should stay in bed for a week and take it easy for few more." Nick let out another laugh and Leslie just glared at him. Just as she was about to question Nick's mental stability, there came a knock on the door. It opened up to reveal a very worried, then very happy looking Barbara on the other side. Dressed in some casual wear, Barbara let a tear fall at what she saw. Unable to contain herself, Barbara ran over to him. Dr. Thompkins stopped her short of jumping on Nick. Struggling to restrain herself, the red head sat down on the bed and took Nick's hand. Based on the looks the two were giving each other, Leslie gathered her equipment and left the room.

"I thought you weren't going to make it," Barbara said as she helped Nick lay back down.

"Apparently, I almost did," Nick quipped with a smile. It soon faded as the memories began to him. Nick saw himself taking on Zsasz alone and felt the pain of Zsasz's knife cutting into his body. He saw them duel and fall through the sky-light. The walk up the stairs; Zsasz lighting the cigarette and putting it in Nick's mouth. Nick's eyes widened as he remembered what happened next. Barbara saw the mood change on Nick's face and tightened her grip on his hand.

"Nick, don't dwell on it," she said.

"Dwell?" Nick scoffed. "I put a knife in Zsasz's heart without a second thought. I killed him."

"Like I told you last night, you had no choice," Barbara reassured. "If you hadn't acted, he would have killed you. You did what you had to." Nick said nothing as he stared at the ceiling. His hands ran down the side of his torso to the bandages. Even through the gauze and the tape, Nick felt the lumps in his skin. He couldn't tell the exact amount but guessed 30. Barbara watched as another tear fell from Nick's eye. Barbara wiped the tear away with her finger and Nick took her hand again.

"I remember one more thing," he said. Barbara smiled and lay down with Nick. "This trip has been quite an experience." Barbara chuckled at the statement. They laid in silence staring at each other, and exchanging a few quick kisses on the lips. Suddenly, Barbara brought up her hand, and smacked Nick across his face as hard as she could. "OUCH," Nick yelled. "Way to ruin the moment!"

"That was for going off on your own," Barbara said sitting up. Nick looked at her with a look of sheer confusion.

"First, you kiss me, then you slap me?" he questioned.

"At first, I was happy you are alive, now I am so pissed at you, Nick," Barbara said turning her back. Nick thought about it for a moment and she was right. Suddenly, Barbara started crying and turned back to Nick. "What were you thinking?" Nick opened his mouth to answer, but the red head cut him off. "Don't tell me you were protecting us. We all knew the risks when we put on the costumes." Nick just sighed. He had no valid argument to justify going off on his own.

"You're right, Barbara," he said. "There is no excuse. I guess it was my pride for not getting the cannon sooner. And with Two-Face's death on my mind, I didn't want to risk your lives for my mistakes. Especially your life, Barbara." Barbara moved her hand again and Nick readied himself for another slap. To his surprise, Nick watched Barbara pull the sheet down, and run her hand along the bandages.

"Nick," Barbara started. "Don't ever do something like that again." Nick nodded his head just as a knock came at the door. Alfred entered the room carrying a tray with some water on it.

"How are you feeling, Master Reese?" he asked with his usual poise.

"You of all people should know, Alfred," Nick said. "I owe you and Dr. Thompkins my life." Alfred smiled as he offered a large pill to the wounded man. "Thank you, Alfred, for everything."

"Think nothing of it, Master Reese," he said. "Though you may wish you were dead when our visitor comes to see you. That is why I brought you this large pill, for the pain yet to come."

"Visitor?" Nick asked and noticed Barbara got a very worried look on her face. "Barbara?" Nick chimed with a little annoyance in his voice. His new girlfriend chuckled nervously.

"I may have called your sister…" she said sheepishly. Nick stared at her with wide eyes knowing full well the inferno that would soon unfold. Quickly, he took the pill and gulped it down with the water.

"You…called…Victoria?" Nick stuttered. Before Barbara could answer, the door flew open and small brunette stood with her hand firmly on the door. The woman was barely above 5'9", and she was wearing 6" heels. Barbara was amazed to see the scared look on Nick's face. How could a small woman who was no larger than 110lbs, intimidate a man like Nick? Bruce and Tim were standing behind Victoria, both equally uneasy. Victoria just stood there, her rage emanating like fire.

"Nice knowing you, Nick," Tim said to break the awkward silence. Victoria slowly turned her head and the young man backed down.

"Not helping, Master Tim," Alfred said collecting the tray and taking his leave. Once he left, the silence continued as Victoria took in the site of her wounded brother. After a moment, she turned to Bruce.

"Thank you, Bruce," she said. Bruce responded with a nod. "I'll honor your secret just as I honor Nick's." Nick and Barbara's eyes widened at Victoria's words knowing what she was talking about. "Would you excuse us, please?" Bruce silently closed the door and left the three in the room, alone. Barbara took this chance to try and calm the woman. She stood up and walked over to Victoria.

"You must be Victoria," she started extending her hand.

"I'll get to you in a moment," Victoria interrupted with calm rage. She didn't even turn to Barbara, but kept her eyes on Nick. Slowly, she walked up to the head of the bed. "Bruce told me everything, Nick. I swear you are going to put me in my grave," she started. "WHAT…in the name of all things good and holy were you thinking?" Nick looked at his sister to give an answer but was cut off again. "I asked you to come home, I asked you to let Batman handle it, and here you are. You could have been killed, Nick. You almost were…" Tears were starting to fall from Victoria's eyes as she continued her rant. "As if that wasn't bad enough, YOU WENT OUT ON YOUR OWN LAST NIGHT? Joker, Quinn, and…Zsasz! ZSASZ? Why, why would go alone?"

"I didn't want them risking their lives for my mistake," Nick answered. He sat up, ignoring the pain in his side and got out of bed. Nick towered of his sister, trying to show a position of power. "If I had gotten to Scapelli sooner, none of this would have happened." Victoria stood firm against her brother, and slapped him as hard as she could. Barbara recoiled at Victoria's action.

"God Damn you, Nick," she said. Nick ignored his cheek and stood firm as well. "So you risk your own life and take on 3 psychos? Explain to me how that makes sense." Nick just stood there. "I didn't think so…"

Suddenly, Victoria grabbed her brother in a hug and cried into the scar on his chest. Barbara took a much needed breath now that the tension was broken. Nick wrapped his arms around Victoria and the two stood in an embrace for a moment. Victoria broke the hug first and looked at the bandages on her brother. She thought about asking him to stop being the Black Bandit, but knew she'd never win that argument. "Got a new scar," she joked.

"Chicks dig scars," Nick chuckled motioning to Barbara. Victoria scoffed at her brother.

"Get back into bed, before I finish you off myself," she started. "I need a very tall and very strong drink."

"You're not the only one," Barbara said. "Mind if I join you?"

"You and I need to talk anyway," Victoria responded. She hugged her brother and made for the door, watching as Barbara went over and kissed Nick. The two women went into the hallway and closed the door. Together, they made their way down the hall.

"So," Victoria began awkwardly. "You and my brother?" Barbara gave a nervous smile knowing it was her turn to face the firing squad.

"Yea," she answered.

"A little sudden isn't it?" Victoria asked.

"Maybe, but love has a way of doing that," Barbara said. Victoria stopped in her tracks and held her arm across Barbara to stop her.

"Did you just use the 'L' word?" she asked. Barbara nodded and Victoria rolled her eyes. "How can you use that word, you only met him a few days ago."

"It just snuck up on me, and him," Barbara said. Victoria got a look on her face like she was getting a headache. "It all started…"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I need a drink right now," Victoria said. "My emotions need some downtime. So can you hold the explanation until there is some liquor in me?" Barbara nodded and led the woman downstairs and through Wayne Manor. Entering the kitchen, the two ran into Alfred making coffee.

"Alfred, would you bring us some drinks, please?" Barbara asked.

"Of course, Miss Gordon," he started. "What would you like?"

"Victoria?" Barbara asked.

"Whiskey, and please bring the bottle," she answered crossing her arms and wiping her hand over her face. Alfred nodded and left the two alone. Victoria took a seat at the table where Barbara shared coffee with Nick a couple nights earlier. The brunette buried her face in her hands, trying to make sense of everything. Barbara retrieved two glasses from the cabinet and went to the freezer. "No, ice, Barbara," Victoria said. "I need to feel the bite."

"You too?" Barbara responded joining Victoria at the table. "Are you ok?"

"No, Barbara!" Victoria snapped. "I was woken up in the middle of the night by a stranger's phone call to tell me my brother may be dying. I hop on the company plane and fly, a nervous wreck, worried I am going to go and retrieve his body. On top of that, I find out that a man I respect is actually a masked vigilante and the woman claiming to love my brother, does the same reckless acts Nick does. Finally, my brother chose to knock you all out and go it alone against 3 of the most dangerous people in Gotham City. This is too much for me right now." Alfred took this moment to join the women with a bottle of whiskey. Victoria took the bottle when it was offered and poured herself a triple shot. She downed it in one gulp, flinching as her mouth and throat burned. Barbara took the bottle and poured herself a drink and another for Victoria. Barbara took a sip of the liquor as Victoria swirled it in her glass. "So," Victoria started with a sniffle. "How'd you meet my brother?"

Victoria listened as Barbara told her about the last few days. Being shot and saved by Nick, the warehouse, interrogating Scapelli, Two-Face's death, the Joker, and Zsasz. Victoria listened intently taking a few nips from her drink. Barbara then told Victoria about their date, Nick telling her about his past, and how close they truly got. Though she left out details of when they slept together, Victoria already knew what had happened.

"Touching story, Barbara," Victoria began pushing her glass away. "But you haven't given me any real proof that you are different from the other women who have entered Nick's life." Barbara looked at her empty glass and understood Victoria's position.

"I know you are suspicious, I would be too," she began. "But, I am different. Nick saved my life and risked his own to make sure I was safe. His bravery is what got my eye. He's sarcastic jokes and over the top personality charmed me. And he treated me with respect. It's all the qualities I ever wanted, so it's only natural I fell for him." Victoria looked Barbara dead in the eyes.

"Would you do the same?" she asked.

"Risk my life for him?" Barbara asked. Victoria nodded at her. "In a heartbeat," Barbara instantly said. Victoria sat in silence for a moment before getting up and bringing her glass to the sink and rinsing it out. Barbara followed suit nervously.

"My first conversation with you," Victoria began with angry look on her face. "You said hello on the phone, after you slept with my brother a couple days after meeting him; strike one." Barbara started to get nervous. Victoria turned to her and leaned against the granite counter and continued. "My brother nearly died while he was partnered up with you; strike two." Barbara started to cringe know she was about to lose any trust she could hope of earning. "Anything else you want to tell me about the last few days?" Barbara shook her head. "You got two points against you, sister. However..." Barbara began to relax with that word. "I always asked my brother if he would risk his life for the women he dated. Its how I always made sure he didn't fall for any gold diggers."

"I guess his actions answered your question," Barbara said relaxing.

"Don't get cute, Barbara," Victoria rebutted. "Nick did risk his life for you, so there must be something he sees in you. Let's just say, for now, I reserve judgment. Did he call you his girlfriend?" Barbara nodded and Victoria cocked an eyebrow. To Barbara's relief, Victoria extended her hand and she took it in a handshake.

"Are we ok?" Barbara asked.

"For now," Victoria said walking out of the kitchen with Barbara in tow. "But if you are serious about my brother, don't plan on children."

"Why not?" Barbara asked.

"I'm still pissed at him and it's possible I am going to rip his balls off," Victoria said. Barbara laughed as the two walked into the hallway and back into the main room. To their shock, they saw Nick standing in the main room with Bruce. "Nick, what the hell are you doing out of bed?" Victoria called.

"The Deltaware merger is tomorrow," he said adjusting his pants so they were off his wound.

"Nick, you should get back to bed and rest," Barbara added with a hint of concern.

"Nothing doing," Nick said. "I set up the merger with Jack and I am going to see it through." Victoria crossed her arms to keep herself from smacking her brother again.

"You know damn well I can handle the Deltaware merger, Nick," Victoria said.

"I know you can," he replied. "But I've been away from the office too long. I don't want the Board to think I abandoned them." Just as Nick finished, a chauffer came down the stairs with Alfred carrying the bags of clothes Nick had bought. Victoria and Barbara waited until they were outside to continue.

"What about your equipment, Nick?" Barbara asked.

"I'll have it shipped to the Reese estate," Bruce said. "It'll be there by the time you get home from Los Angeles." Victoria let out a grunt in defeat, knowing her stubborn brother had made up his mind.

"I'll be in the car," Victoria said storming to the door. Before she left she turned to the three. "Thanks again for everything, Bruce. I owe you one." Bruce smiled at her and Victoria turned to Barbara. "You know the possible?" Barbara nodded at her. "It's definite." With that final statement, Victoria left Wayne Manor. Nick looked at Barbara and got worried with the "you're in trouble" smirk she had on. He turned to Bruce and extended his hand to him.

"Any loose ends to tie up?" he asked as Bruce shook Nick's hand.

"Joker and his gang are back in custody," he started. "The cannon is destroyed and back in military hands, and Commissioner Gordon is ensuring your blood stains on the roof are being destroyed."

"Zsasz and Two-Face?" Nick added.

"They'll both be cremated and spread in the Atlantic," Bruce answered. He watched as the mood on Nick's face went somber. Bruce put his hand on Nick's shoulder to comfort the young man. "Two-Face wasn't killed by you. The Joker always knew whether or not he would kill him. And Zsasz was a lost cause."

"Bruce is right, Nick," Barbara continued. "Like Daddy said, he was wanted, dead or alive."

"Still doesn't ease my conscience," Nick said. Bruce stepped up and got directly in the young man's face.

"It was your survival instincts," he began. Nick looked into Bruce's eyes and listened. "I can't begin to understand what you are going through. I've stared death down a few times, but never like you. You were critically injured and barely conscious. You acted to keep yourself alive. I've never been in a situation that dire. For all I know, I am capable of killing as well." It took both Nick and Barbara a moment to take in what Bruce said. "Just give it time. Take care of yourself, Nick."

"Thanks, Bruce," he answered. Bruce left the Barbara and Nick alone in the room. Barbara crossed her arms in front of her and looked at Nick.

"I kind of figured I would be taking care of you for a couple weeks," she started.

"Mmm," Nick said. "My own sexy nurse." Barbara laughed as Nick pulled her into an embrace and Barbara wrapped her arms around his neck. "You can always come with me." Barbara just shook her head in disappointment.

"I have class the morning, I can't," she said. "And you need to rest up as much as possible." Barbara broke the embrace and scurried into Bruce's study. She came back with a pad and pen. Quickly, she wrote her number and address down for Nick and gave it to him. "Call me when you get to LA?" Nick chuckled and took the number and pad from Barbara. Quickly, he also wrote down his number and address for her.

"This is my personal cell number, its always on," Nick started. "And feel free to drop by the house anytime if you want to check up on me. Or check me out, whichever you want." Barbara smiled as she took the number and hugged Nick again.

"Is this a fake number?" she joked. Nick laughed and pulled Barbara close. The two shared another chaste, but passionate kiss. After a moment, the two broke it.

"I love you too, Barbara," Nick said. "Sorry I didn't get to return it last night." Barbara smiled and placed another kiss on Nick's lips. Together, they walked to the door and Nick opened it. "Going to head home?"

"Yea," Barbara said. "I need a long bubble bath to relax." She slid her hands into her back pocket and felt something in there. "Oh," she said pulling out Nick's Zippo. "Don't forget this." Nick smiled and took the lighter. In the light of the sun, he could see it was stained with his own dried blood. With a smirk, Nick tossed it in the air and caught.

"My lucky lighter, thanks, Babe," he said slipping it into his pocket. The two shared a final kiss before Nick started towards the car outside. "See you very soon," he called. Barbara smiled and gave a final wave as she watched Nick carefully get into the car. She stayed at the door and watched as Nick drove away with his sister.

An hour later, Barbara was back at her apartment. She sighed as she entered the door and threw her purse and keys onto her couch. After locking the door, she went straight to the bathroom and turned the water on. She got it to the right temperature and threw some bubble bath in. Removing her jeans and tank top, Barbara checked her stitches. She saw a pink line down the middle of the wound indicating it was healing. Quickly, stretching out by shooting her arms up, Barbara removed her bra and panties. Just as she was about to turn of the water, the phone rang. Wrapping a towel around her body, Barbara went to answer the phone.

"Hello?" she said rushing back into the bathroom to turn off the water.

"Hello, Pumpkin," Commissioner Gordon said on the other side of the line.

"Daddy, how are you?" Barbara answered joyfully.

"I'm ok, are you just getting up?" he asked.

"Uh, yea," Barbara lied. "I was out late last night and I had a date Friday night. I'm going to take a bath to relax before I get ready for class tomorrow."

"I read about that date of yours in the paper," Jim said. "Nick Reese huh? How did my little girl manage a date with him?"

"I just ran into him," Barbara said testing the water.

"Really? Where?" Gordon asked.

"Completely random encounter, Daddy," Barbara answered.

"Did you have fun?" he asked.

"Yes, Daddy," Barbara replied. "He took me out to dinner at the Iceberg Lounge. We danced a little there and we talked for a couple hours. After we went to Dancer's Eden, had a couple drinks and then our date ended."

"Well as long as you had fun, Pumpkin," Jim said.

"I did, Daddy," Barbara said. Gordon paused on the other side of the line, trying to find the words for his next question.

"Is there…" he began. "Anything else you want to tell me?" Barbara thought about it for a moment. Was he trying to figure out if she slept with Nick?

"No, not really, Daddy," she said. On the other side of the line, Gordon sighed to himself, but didn't pry.

"I only ask because I worry about you, Barbara," he said. "You may be an adult, but you are still my little girl."

"I know, Daddy," she replied removing her towel. "Can I call you back later; I'm getting in the tub."

"Sure, Pumpkin," Jim said. "Love you, Barbara."

"I love you too, Daddy," Barbara said. The two hung up and Commissioner Gordon put his phone down on the receiver. Leaning back in his chair, Gordon lit his pipe.

"She can tell me when she is ready," he said to himself.

Back at Barbara's apartment, she tied her hair in a bun and slowly slid into the tub. Inch by inch, she entered bubbly water. Once in up to her neck and lying down, she let out an orgasmic sigh at the bliss she was in. The emotional roller coaster she had been on in the last few days began to melt away. Slowly, she closed her eyes and let her mind and body relax.

"Did you tell your Father yet?" a voice called from behind. Batgirl snapped out of her memory and stood up from the ledge she was sitting on. However, this building wasn't in downtown Gotham. It was in the city of Newark, the Black Bandit's territory. In the light of the full moon, her new bat-suit was clearly visible. The cowl now covered her entire face and her eye slits were blanked out. Her cape was longer and all the yellow from her old costume has been replaced with deep gray. Leather had been strategically placed on her torso, legs and arms for more protection. And Batgirl's boots now had 3" heels and came up to her knees. Behind her, stood the Black Bandit. Like Batgirl, his costume had changed too. His trench had thicker patches of leather strategically placed to protect him. The Bandit's boot toes and heels were steel covered and studs had been added to his knuckles. Lastly, the Bandit's mask no longer exposed his eyes and mouth. His face was completely covered in black. "I asked if you've told your Father yet?" the Bandit asked again.

"I'll never get used to that new mask, Bandit," Batgirl said sitting down on the ledge. "It looks creepy."

"Creepy? I was hoping for intimidating, but creepy works," Black Bandit joked. He sat down and joined Batgirl, enjoying the fact that tonight was a slow night.

"You are such a smart ass," Batgirl retorted turning back to the city.

"Better to be a smart ass than a dumb shit," the Bandit continued to joke. Batgirl let out a sigh and laughed along with the Bandit. He looked out among the city and his mind wandered a little. "I noticed you were spaced out a little. What were you thinking about?" Batgirl turned to the man she had fallen for and took his hand in her own.

"I was thinking about our first few days together," she said in a caring tone. Though Batgirl couldn't see it, the Black Bandit was smiling under his mask.

"Do you believe that was 9 months ago already?" he asked. Batgirl shook her head. "Best 9 months of my life," the Bandit continued. "Which brings me back: did you tell your Father yet?"

"No, not yet," Batgirl relented.

"What are you waiting for, the day of the wedding?" Bandit joked. He put his arm around Batgirl and she started to laugh. "That's what I wanted to hear."

"I know I have to tell him," she said. "But I have to do that in person. It's not everyday I tell Daddy I am getting married."

"Well, why didn't you just say so?" Bandit said half annoyed. "How about this? We'll fly back to Gotham in the morning and you can tell 'Dad' over lunch." Batgirl grabbed the Bandit and pulled him into a deep hug. He flinched as he felt something and pushed back a little. "What is on your chest?" he asked. Batgirl fumbled with the lump in her fingers and smiled.

"I am not going to risk damaging my 3 karat best friend punching someone," she joked.

"Please don't, I had it custom made for you," Bandit said. Batgirl playfully punched the Black Bandit in the arm. Suddenly, a sound of shattering glass caught the two vigilante's attention. Over the ledge of their vantage point, they saw an electronic store being broken into. "Back to work," the Bandit chimed. Before he leapt over the ledge, the Bandit had a quick question to ask. "Have you noticed business is slow since you moved up here?"

"What can I say?" Batgirl chimed as she fired her grappling hook. "I'm the intimidating one, and you are just plain creepy in the new outfit." With a laugh, Batgirl took off swinging away.

"God I love that woman," the Bandit said firing his own grappling hook. Together they sprang into action. As they did, a local newspaper was blown around revealing its headline: Bats & Bandits.

_A/N: Wow, after two years of work, rewrites, and delays, my first fic is complete. That's right, this was the first fic I started writing. You'd be surprised how confusing these multi-chapters stories can get. But Bat's & Bandits is complete. I may revisit these characters in the future but for now I shall turn to my other works in progress._

_ To update the fans of my Deadliest Warrior series, I am going to wait another few weeks before I start it. Currently I am still deciding whether or not to feature Aang himself, or Korra. If you could give me some feedback, I would appreciate it. But that is the main hold-up. I will not be waiting to see if there is a format change in season 4 of Deadliest Warrior._

_ Well that's all for now readers. Click the review button and leave me some love. This is Whysoserious1985, signing off for now. Peace._


End file.
